Rachel was in her car following Quinn to the smoothie place by their school. She was trying to formulate a plan as she drove, when she realized that she knew almost nothing about Quinn. She pulled out her phone and placed a quick call.
"Tell me something about Quinn," Rachel said into the phone.
"No way," Finn chuckled, "I bet against you remember?"
"C'mon Finn. Throw me a bone," Rachel pleaded in the most pathetic voice she could muster, "I'm trying really hard."
"Fine," Finn's voice was still really amused, "What do you want to know?"
Rachel sighed, slightly relieved, "What's her favorite flower?"
"Um…I uh…" Finn stuttered for the answer.
Rachel bit her lip, "What's her favorite song?"
"Metallica?"
The brunette's eyes narrowed at the wrong answer. She asked one of the most simple questions anyone in a relationship should know, "What's her favorite color?"
She was met with silence.
Then she asked, "What's my favorite color?"
"Oh I um…" Finn was grasping at straws, "Gold?"
"Wrong," Rachel said into the phone and hung up. She was beginning to think Quinn was justified in sleeping with Puck.
"It's okay," Rachel told herself, "I can wing it."
When they pulled into the parking lot of the smoothie place, Rachel glanced at herself in the mirror and took a deep breath. She got out and found Quinn waiting for her outside the door.
They silently walked into the small shop. Rachel ordered and waited for Quinn who paid for it before Rachel could protest.
Quinn picked out a small table for two in the back of the shop as they waited for their smoothies. Rachel slowly sat down, trying to think of something to talk about.
The blonde was equally struggling for something to say. She drummed her fingers on the table and let out a relieved sigh when the person working there brought them their smoothies.
Finally Rachel broke the silence as Quinn sipped her pink drink, "It occurs to me as we sit here in this painfully awkward silence, that I know almost nothing about you."
Quinn looked a little surprised, "Same here." She ran a finger over the rim of her glass adding, "Vegan and Streisand and I think that's about it."
"Well feel free to ask," Rachel took a quick sip of her slightly off white drink, "What's your favorite color? I thought about this on the way over here and called Finn to ask. He had no idea what either of our favorite colors are."
Quinn chuckled, "He never really paid attention to that kind of thing."
"Well I do," Rachel rested her chin in her palm, "What is Miss Fabray's favorite color?"
The blonde looked thoughtfully at her hands on the table with a slight smile on her face, "You know that sort blue, sorta gray color storm clouds are. Like the really horrible looking storm clouds. I guess that sounds really weird." She sighed and looked back at Rachel, "What about you?"
"Purple," Rachel stated simply, "What's your favorite TV show?"
"The Office," Quinn grinned, "I watch it every time it's on. Yours?"
Rachel paused before stating, "Bewitched. I watched it all the time when I was little and I would watch it whenever it's on now, but I don't think it's on anymore."
Quinn opened her mouth to answer, but the only thing that sounded was her phone. She picked it up and read a text message, her eyes growing wide. "It's Coach Sylvester," Quinn looked up, "I have to go but...Do you want to come over later? We can hang out by the pool."
Rachel eagerly agreed, "What time?"
"Um..." Quinn took Rachel's phone off of the table and punched in her number, "Text me when you're ready to come over. I was just going to hang out after I get home anyway."
Rachel nodded. "Good luck."
"I think I need it," Quinn exhaled with a nervous smile, "I probably won't take very long so text me whenever." With that, Quinn quickly walked out the door and jumped into her car.
Rachel didn't feel like sitting around the shop by herself so she went back home. She needed to get her swimsuit out anyway. However that didn't take as long as she thought it would and she was changed and staring at the clock on her dresser.
Rachel paced around her room trying to decide what time to go over to Quinn's. She didn't want to text too early because Quinn might still be with Coach Sylvester, but she was getting antsy. If you asked her why, she'd tell you it was because of the bet, but she'd know that was a lie.
Finally it had been an hour and a half and Rachel knew if she didn't call soon, there wouldn't be much daylight left. She sent out a quick text to Quinn and the reply was almost immediate. I'm ready when you are. Quinn texted her directions to her house and when Rachel first saw it she was sure she took a wrong turn, but she saw Quinn's car in the driveway, confirming that the giant house in front of her was in fact where the blonde lived.
Quinn answered the door in a Cheerio uniform. She let out a smile, "How do I look? I was just trying it on."
"You're back on the team?" Rachel asked, stepping inside.
"I have provisionary status," Quinn answered, closing the door and leading the way up the stairs and to her room, "I get all the perks, but I have to kiss Coach and Santana's asses."
"Why Santana?" Rachel asked when they got to Quinn's room at the top of the stairs. She looked around and was surprised that it was a normal room and not some sort of medieval torture chamber.
"She's the captain and it was her idea to give me probation," Quinn shrugged and walked to her bed where a bikini was laying, "I think coach was just going to let me back on and Santana talked her out of it." She looked down at the bikini as if she were examining a science project. She let out a nervous smile, "I haven't worn one of these in over a year." Something about Quinn's demeanor told Rachel she was a little embarrassed.
"You look amazing for just having a baby," Rachel offered an assuring smile, "I'm sure you'll still look better than me." Rachel threw the last part in, expecting some sort of comeback about how Quinn looked better in a bikini pregnant than she ever would, but none came.
Quinn just bit her lip and looked back at the swimsuit, "How about you go down to the pool and I'll change and be right down?"
Rachel agreed, understanding that Quinn would be a little uncomfortable at first. "Of course."
"It's just down the stairs and to the left. Go through the living room and out the back door."
Rachel nodded and followed the directions. She stepped into the backyard and couldn't help, but notice the huge pool situated in the middle of it. There was a hot tub off to the side and a small waterfall on the other side.
She striped off her shirt and her shorts and walked to the edge. She carefully sat down and put her feet in the water. She wasn't sure how long it had been, but she was starting to wonder if Quinn was ever going to come out.
Just as Rachel was wondering if she'd win the bet if she pretended to drown and Quinn gave her mouth to mouth, she heard the sound of bare feet on concrete running toward her. She ducked and braced herself for the inevitable shove into the pool. However when the feet got really close, the sound disappeared before she heard a splash. She managed to catch the bottom half of Quinn sinking into the water.
When the blonde surface, she had a playful smile on her face, "Are you just going to sit there all day?"
Rachel grinned and pushed herself in to the pool.
Quinn swam around, showing Rachel where all the jets and lights are, explaining what color each light was and saying that she had to stay at least until it got dark so she could see the pool lit up. Rachel identified something in Quinn's eyes that seemed like a little edge of neediness. The more she watched Quinn and how eager Quinn was when she didn't realize it, the more it became clear that Quinn hadn't had a real friend in a long time.
Rachel felt a little queasy at the thought. Here she was trying to get with Quinn to win a bet, when all Quinn wanted was a friend. She sighed and followed Quinn to the wall.
When Quinn heaved herself out of the pool, Rachel was found herself unable to take her eyes off of her. She'd never seen Quinn in such revealing clothes and she didn't know why, but it surprised her.
Quinn walked over to an outdoor stereo by the house and turned on some music. When she turned back to the pool she saw Rachel looking at her. She stopped cold and felt a lump in her throat. And just like every other time she'd been scared or threatened by Rachel she lashed out, "What are you looking at?"
The tone of Quinn's voice as harsh and not something Rachel was unfamiliar with. "I'm sorry." She pushed away from the wall and floated backwards, "I just find it hard to believe that a body that looks like that ever had a baby. Are you sure you weren't faking it?"
Quinn dropped her head, feeling ashamed that she freaked out like she did. Before she could say sorry, a huge wave of water flew out of the pool and hit her. She smiled and ran back to the pool, jumping in like she did when she was little.
It didn't take long for the sunk to sink behind the gate, sending pink streaks shooting across the sky. Rachel looked at Quinn who was sitting on the side of the pool next to her, examining her stomach for any stretch marks that may have gone unnoticed.
"You look great Quinn," Rachel reached over and rested her hand on Quinn's forearm, "Why are you so worried?"
Quinn raised her head and looked across the water that was reflecting the reds and oranges of the setting sun, "I don't know. I just…want everything back to normal."
Rachel couldn't help, but reassure her, "They will."
Quinn looked down at the hand on her arms and felt her arm burn with the touch. A chill ran through her. She didn't like it. Those the kind of feelings got her into the mess she was in, in the first place.
She stood up, out of Rachel's reach and walked over to the switches on the wall, "Ready?"
"Is it dark enough?" Rachel asked back.
The blonde nodded and flipped on the lights. The pool lit up green, blue, and purple. After a few seconds Quinn remembered how to change the color so a few seconds later, the entire pool glowed with a purple hue.
Rachel leaned forward and fell into the water with a tiny splash. She swam to the middle and turned back to Quinn, "It's pretty awesome."
Quinn nodded and sat down next to the pool, dipping her feet in, "You know I almost drowned in here once."
"Really?" Rachel asked and swam to the side of the pool, holding onto the wall next to Quinn's knees.
The blonde nodded, "Yeah. I was like five or six or something and was convinced that I could swim without my floaties. Santana and Brittany were over so I totally had to show off. Anyway I jump in the pool and find out that I can't swim that well after all. Santana jumped in after me and somehow kept me above water long enough for my parents to hear Brittany screaming. My dad jumped into the pool and pulled both of us out." Quinn paused, not sure why she was sharing this story with Rachel. She glanced down at the brunette who was rapt with the story. "Santana brings it up every chance she gets."
Rachel let out an amused smile. "That sounds about right."
Quinn slipped carefully into the water right next to Rachel and just looked at her. They stared at each other for a long moment before the Puck inside of Quinn's head told her to go for it. The Quinn inside Quinn's head felt wrong about it at that moment. Rachel was offering her friendship to Quinn and Quinn was going to sacrifice it for fifty bucks. It didn't sit right with her, but now she was a Cheerio and she now had those expectations looming over her like storm clouds.
Quinn moved herself a little closer to Rachel. The brunette for her part was in utter shock. She knew that look in people's eyes and Quinn had something interesting on her mind.
Rachel had to make a choice. It was now or never. If she was going to go through with the bet this was the perfect time, but if she wasn't she was going to have to fight her body that seemed to already be pushing itself toward Quinn.
