Chapter 2: The Otherside Of Paradise

A.N. So this story will deviate from canon slightly. Major events up until this point have all happened such as, Beth, Santana coming out, but how they happened may be a little different, and out of order. Don't worry I'll explain in the story.

Song Title: The Otherside of Paradise by Glass Animals

YWAH

Fingers in a fist like you might run

I settle for a ghost I never knew

Superparadise I held on to

But I settle for a ghost

August 17th, 8:03 a.m.

Santana had always been one for gossip. She could tell the fake from the real, and the superficial to the outright dramatic. Gossip was her bread and butter, her lifeblood...until it wasn't anymore.

There had been rumors, rumors about her, rumors that caused her to lose her Abuela. Rumors that had ruined her life. And so that was the end of that. The very thing that had built her up, had brought her down, and she wonders if things always wind up that way. The same thing happened with Brittany, not that the poor dancer knew, but still, it hurt.

Now, all of this is not to say that she doesn't hear the rumors anymore. It just means she's not actively spreading them around. She always keeps one ear to the grapevine just in case key names slip through. Most of the time it's Rachel, and she immediately tunes the rest out, but today is different.

Today the key name is Quinn.

Santana immediately zeroes in on the poor freshman cheerio, who's name she hadn't bothered to remember.

She's curious. She hasn't seen Quinn all summer, and she figured her and Judy had went away on a vacation. Maybe, she's back and has an embarrassingly bad sunburn. The girl had always had lily white skin.

"...Quinn Fabray'sapparently a skank now. It's about time that bitch fell from grace..

Santana's blood starts to boil.

YWAH

August 17th, 6:50 a.m.

Quinn hopped off her motorcycle in one fluid motion. Riding the machine had become second nature to her. There was nothing more exhilarating than the wind blowing through your clothing as you rush down the highway.

Quinn tucked her helmet under her right arm and her small leather backpack over the other one. She watched as Jaelyn clambered out of the Challenger, an annoyed look plastered across her face. The tanned skin girl smoothed out her miniskirt and fluffed her hair.

"I know I asked already and you gave me an answer but I definitely wasn't listening, so what are we doing here so early again?" Jaelyn inquired as she swung her own bookbag unto her back.

She followed Quinn around the school and to the football field. She pouted briefly, she hoped she wouldn't have to ruin her heels on that damn grass.

"I told you, I have some business to take care of before we go into the lion's den. I need to get to them before anyone sees me."

"What does it matter if anyone sees you now? They're going to eventually anyway."

Quinn turned around from her trek with a devilish smirk, "Oh my dear cousin, that will ruin the big surprise."

Jaelyn smiled back proudly, "I love this new Quinn! You know, I actually kind of hated you when you were hiding behind that long blonde hair and all that damn pink." Jaelyn mimes a terrified shiver.

Quinn rolled her eyes, "Yeah well you weren't the only one."

The two walk along the track and quickly come up on the bleachers. Or rather under them. Jaelyn is surprised to see that it seems to be a whole lounging area under there. What the hell was this school?!

Quinn motioned for Jaelyn to slip through the opening in the chain link fence, then does the same herself.

"Are you lost, Fabray?" One of the girl's Quinn knows to be Angel asked from her reclined position in a old reclining chair.

Quinn glanced at her with shrug, "Nope. I think I'm exactly where I want to be. I'll be joining you guys for the rest of the year and my cousin will be around occasionally. Any questions?"

Angel seems to think it over for a moment. "None at all, Fabray, none at all. Take a seat."

Quinn nods and does as told, Jaelyn opts to just stand considering nothing under here looks like it's been cleaned since before she was born.

The girls talk about their summers for a few minutes. Quinn takes the time to get to know The Skanks. They're all seniors but Angel is the closest to Quinn in age, then Tatum, then Kix. Quinn doesn't bother to ask if those are their birth names. To her surprise they're actually pretty cool and there's an obvious family dynamic going on.

About ten minutes later, they hear the chain link fence rattle a bit and turn around with furrowed brows.

Quinn raised an eyebrow at the intruder.

"Did you get taller?"

The girl's eyes widen at Quinn's surprised voice. Her eyes scan the other occupants breifly stopping on Jaelyn longer than anyone else. She catches herself then continues her search until she finds who she was looking for.

She strides over to Angel and they breifly exchange a few heated wordswords before Angel rolls her eyes and gives up.

"It looks like my cousin will be joining us also." Kix and Tatum giggle at the obvious disagreement written across Angel's face.

"Wait! Rachel's your cousin?"

"This is Rachel? I thought you said she was short and only wore ugly animal sweaters. She's actually kind of cute..."

Quinn makes a disgusted face, "She was or she did," Quinn turned to the girl in question, "Care to explain?!"

Rachel hooked ger thumbs into her jean pockets and shrugged, "I hope you're not insinuating that I as a maturing woman am not allowed to under go discovery and transformation, because that would be highly hypocritical of you."

"Still long winded I see..."

"Besides, I only stopped wearing those god awful outfits my dads put me in to preserve my innocence and grew a little due to my new regular non-vegan diet. Apparently the lack of protein stunted my growth and my old pediatrician failed to inform me. It was actually Santana's father who gave me the information after I visted their estate at the beginning of the summer." Rachel could tell she caught Quinn's attentionat the mention of Santana, "If any of us truly has any explaining to do I believe it is you Ms. Fabray. If that tattoo running half the length of your left arm is anything to go by."

Quinn smirked at the former diva, she sat down heavily onto an unoccupied loveseat, "You sound surprised, Rae."

"Oh, I'm not surprised in the slightest. In fact, I'm happy for you. You deserve to be happy for once in your life, and if it comes in the form of flowing blue hair and winding tattoos then who am I to judge you."

"Yep, definitely still Rachel Berry." Quinn gives Rachel a look that says 'I'll explain later'. She checks her watch and rolls out a kink in her neck, "C'mon girls, time to head to class."

"Sorry to burst your bubble, Fabray, but we don't go to class. Not our style." Tatum speaks up from the back of the clubhouse.

"Well, this year you do. I know you don't want to stay in this godforsaken city forever and unfortunately, this school is your only exit." Quinn walks off without a second glance, Jaelyn in tow.

YWAH

A.N. I don't really like this chapter but the next will be better. All mistakes mine.