Yay, I wrote another chapter! With actual real dialogue! Before you get down to reading, I'd like to take up some more of your precious time with some thanks.
The response to this, so far, after only one chapter (!) has been phenomenal (at least in my terms)! Thank you all so much :D
And special thanks to Cassicio for not only reviewing, but also coming up with the best pairing name ever. I hope you enjoy this too :)
Disclaimer: Still don't own Glee. Or any of the copyrighted stuff mentioned in this chapter.
….
Resigning herself to the worst, Rachel trudged over to her best friend. Sure, they got a little talking done, but mainly Finn would drag Mercedes' face around to kiss her, and Rachel could only take so much of that. After about half an hour she retreated back upstairs, claiming she had to unpack. Yes, she felt guilty about lying to her best friend, but it was either that or she would puke over both of them.
By this time, it was almost supper. Knowing that everyone officially had to be at school by this time, Rachel fired off a quick text to her two other close friends, Kurt and Tina, asking if they wanted to meet up and walk to the dining hall. After aimlessly playing Doodlejump for a few minutes, her phone's vibration heralded the arrival of an enthusiastic "Yeah! See you in 5?" from Kurt. There was no reply from Tina, but this wasn't really abnormal; Tina was involved in so many extra-curricular activities that she had probably already arrived at school, attended a singing lesson, gone to a play rehearsal and then proceeded to supper with others from the rehearsal.
Her guilt returning slightly, Rachel slipped out of the boarding house through a back door so she wouldn't end up with Mercedes and Finn tagging along. She shook the feeling off, telling herself that she would spend time with them after supper – there was a curfew for when everyone had to be in their own house, so she could see Mercedes then if no other time.
Kurt, stylish as every in skinny jeans and a fitted jumper, practically leapt on Rachel as she scurried out of the rain and under the small area of cover provided by the overhang of the dining hall's roof.
"RACHEL! It's so good to see you! You have no idea how hellish my life was while you were in Canada; my cell plan doesn't allow foreign texts, so I had two weeks of Finn moaning on and on about how much he missed Mercedes…seriously, it was enough to make me want to throttle him."
Before Mercedes and Finn had got together, Finn had been good friends with Kurt; it was in fact this that had led to Finn being added to the group of Mercedes, Tina, Kurt and Rachel. Something the latter two both regretted.
"And then as soon as you were back, you were gone to Europe for a week…believe it or not, that was worse. Apparently Mercedes doesn't care if Finn is hanging out with someone else, she'll come over and suck face with him doubtless."
Rachel found this entirely believable.
"I know, Kurt, trust me. I could only spend half an hour with the two before my mush-quota overflowed. Mercedes may be my best friend, but the two really are nauseating."
"Yeah. We have to hope it's just the honeymoon period. And if not, well…my house's common room is always open!"
Rachel, giggling at his reply, linked arms with Kurt, and the two walked into the dining hall. They were soon both seated with trays of food, and after exhausting the subject of their respective holidays, quickly moved on to discussion of the year ahead. After they had covered subjects, their rooms and decisions on the next day's clothes, the whispers finally became too much for Kurt.
"Really? Is it so impossible for these cretins to see a girl and boy sit together for lunch and not instantly label them as a couple? I mean – " Kurt brushed his hands through his hair ending the gesture with a flick of his wrist that left the brown-blonde strands perfectly organised. "- do I need to put up posters declaring that I have the most wonderful…" his tone turned dreamy – "caring, adorable and, obviously, smoking hot, boyfriend?"
Rachel sniggered – it was ridiculous that so few of the students apart from Kurt's close friends knew of his sexual orientation. He practically wore a rainbow flag – or, at least, would if it was in fashion and designed by Alexander McQueen. A half-mocking, half-teasing tone entered Rachel's voice in her reply; "You know what's even more impossible? That they could believe I'd go out with you! Furthermore, that belief is totally cramping my style." Kurt's only reply was to flick one of his peas in the brunette's direction. She stuck her tongue out at him, but before Rachel could retaliate further, one of the dining hall's doors opened. It being directly in her sightline, Rachel received an advance screening of the transformation Quinn had undergone over the summer.
Quinn's downwards spiral from honour roll to failing all her exams had been pretty obvious to everyone last year. Neglect for her health and other's perception of her was also clear. Now, this had all changed. Quinn's hair was short, and a slightly too long fringe fell down to her eyelids. She had exchanged the tight-fitting shirts and short skirts for a baggy t-shirt, loose jeans and sneakers. Arms crossed tightly across her chest and head bowed showed that Quinn did not want anyone to talk to her.
"She's so brave…" Kurt whispered. "I know that I would not have been able to suffer the shame of retaking a year – especially at the school where my ex-boyfriend and all my friends were enjoying the privileges associated with being a member of the upper sixth."
Rachel's assent didn't extend further than a nod; it was all she could do to stop her jaw dropping to the floor. She had always thought of Quinn as beautiful, but this Quinn…looking so broken…Rachel had never found anyone more attractive. She watched, her eyes gorging themselves on detail, as Quinn collected a tray of food, walked over to a mainly hidden corner of the hall and began to eat. One hand worried a scab on the opposite arm as she checked her phone; then she pulled a thin book out of the satchel slung across her shoulders and expertly turned the pages with one hand while scooping up forkfuls of rice with the other.
It was at this point that Kurt's hand connected with Rachel's forehead hard enough to catch her attention.
"Ow!"
"Yeah, well, that's what you get for staring. Quinn's arrival may have prompted a gossip blizzard at every other table, but I would like to think that we, at least, are above that." Kurt's accusatory tone quickly snapped Rachel back to the present, reminding her that she was in a room full of people – not some private bubble containing only her and Quinn. Much as she would like to be – she shook her head hard to dismiss that thought.
"Um…it's not…that wasn't why I was staring Kurt."
"Worried about her? Oh, you are so sweet-"
Rachel had to interrupt. Although she was normally happy for Kurt place emphasis on her good qualities, she really felt it was entirely unjustified in this instance.
"Nope. I just, uh, liked her sneakers."
"Rachel. You don't know the difference between Vans and Converses. I – oh my god. No! That will not work at all! No no no! Your best friend's boyfriend is her ex. I'm not sure how, but that must be some kind of incest. We need to get out of here and get you a cold shower with a nice dose of reality."
Kurt pulled Rachel to her feet and hurried her along to deposit their trays at the hatch, then practically dragged her out into the freezing night. Kurt's glance at her made it obvious he hoped that the arctic temperature had knocked some sense into her. Unfortunately not. It would take a lot more than that for Rachel to shake her crush on Quinn.
….
The next chapter might take a while – part of this was already written when the first chapter went up. But, as always, your reviews encourage me :)
