Four years later…
It was beginning to feel too repetitive for Quinn constantly picking opportunities to pickpocket some cash only to find herself on a bus traveling to a new town to stay in for a bit. Once settled in, then she would repeat the same process again.
It was exciting at first because she was able to pay for longer trips and things were actually looking up for her. In fact, her life was good and it's a major comfort not having to stress over money-related things. She had been able to live more comfortably since Chase taught her how.
Stealing from an oblivious stranger still gave her a bit a thrill but it was also a necessity for her. That part of her life was perfect because it was assured that her needs would be covered. It helped her to focus more on what she's been searching for.
However, over the years she still felt like something was missing from her life. That she hadn't quite experienced that certain sense of freedom she had always longed to experience.
Hopping from town to town for so long, her excitement faded as she began realizing how similar each town was. They became common to her and she didn't want commonness in her wandering journey. Sure, one place had acres of land and plenty of farms while another may had more buildings and people believing that their small town was safe from bad people and crime. That was a laugh.
It was all the same to her. When she had envisioned running away years ago, she always had this image of her driving a car, windows down to let the wind blow through her blonde hair and road tripping across the United States.
It would be peaceful and exciting. Joyful and memorable. Also a chance to rediscover herself. She knew there was still a lot of stuff inside her that she needed to unpack. Being out on the open road by herself sounded like the best way to sort out any lingering baggage she had hidden away.
A plan began to form when she finally arrived in New York City a few months ago. It was also the first time in awhile that she felt total anticipation and excitement when she took in the sights that New York offered. She liked it so much, she stayed and decided that this was where she'll put her plan in motion.
It was time to steal a car.
It'd be the first time she would steal a car on her own. She had tagged along with Chase a few times to steal cars just so she could learn how and it was fun joyriding the cars a few blocks from where it was parked.
Pure adrenaline.
She had found an ideal spot that she could case for cars. It was basically a convenience store on the corner that didn't have a well lit parking lot and only had one working camera. She figured with the lack of lighting and a hoodie, she'll remain anonymous even if the camera's quality happen to be decent or not.
As luck would have it while waiting in the shadows nearby for a perfect opportunity, a punch buggy had just parked near the back of the lot. She slinked a little closer when lone female figure exited the car in a rush. She watched the short woman enter the store, when she suddenly realized she hadn't heard any sounds signaling that the car was locked.
This was her chance.
Quinn double checked that her hood was still in place before smoothly walking toward the Beetle and glancing around to see if there were any potential witnesses. There was none. She slowly opened the car door ready to run if she had been mistaken and the alarm went off. Thankfully, she was correct that it was left unlocked during the woman's rush into the store. She would very much regret that soon.
All Quinn could hear was the rapid pounding of her heart while quickly working to start up the car and take off.
There was no turning back now.
Feeling the wheel in her hands, Quinn gripped it until her knuckles turned white as her foot stayed pressed against the pedal of the car she had stolen. Her heart was racing as she frantically checked the mirrors and the road, almost expecting to see flashing blue and red lights of a cop car following her.
No police car in sight. No flashing lights or sirens to be heard.
She still did not loosen her tight grip on the wheel. Not yet. Not until the anxiety that filled her body, that made it shake, and her heart race, began to lose its hold on her once she felt she was safe from being caught
Quinn drove out of the city, passed through some more, determined to leave New York altogether. Only then, she'd imagine, it would be enough to feel like she really managed to escape. That she wasn't going to get caught instantly, and that she could actually go through with this idea of hers to travel across the country.
What she hadn't expected was nearly driving herself off the road in fright when a phone suddenly rang from the passenger seat. Cursing quietly to herself, she glanced to the seat where she had tossed her overstuffed backpack, which had apparently hid the phone lying there.
Biting her lip, Quinn chose to ignore it, hoping whoever it was wouldn't try calling again. She needed to focus on the road and getting the hell out of New York. Once she did, she would have to eventually stop and get some rest, not to mention get an idea of where she was headed first.
However, before she could breathe a sigh of relief when the ringing stopped, it rang again and again and each time Quinn ignored it.
It was putting her further on edge, and after the 9th call, Quinn angrily snatched it from beneath her bag and answered it.
There was a brief moment of silence before suddenly a female voice began ranting through the phone.
"Hello? My name is Rachel Berry and the phone you just answered is mine! You also stole my car, which is extremely rude and inconsiderate. Are you aware what you've done is considered a crime? That means you're a criminal! You could very well be charged and arrested for vehicle theft."
Quinn furrowed her brow, still watching the road as she listened to the woman whose car she had stolen. If she wasn't inwardly berating herself for answering the phone instead of simply shutting it off, she would almost be amused by the way she was being told she had committed a crime and was a criminal.
She was quite aware of that.
"I bought that car only months ago and you stole it while I was shopping for groceries when it wasn't even my turn to shop for them! Kurt-shush, let me be mad at you too. I had to walk home on already aching feet, in the dark after a long exhausting day because of you, thief. Again, how horribly inconsiderate and wrong that was of you!"
After a brief pause, the woman - Rachel - on the other end spoke up once more.
"Well? What do you have to say for yourself? At least give me enough decency to speak up while I'm questioning you."
Rolling her eyes at being called a thief, Quinn quietly scoffed as she debated how she would respond. It couldn't hurt to momentarily speak to this person, and oddly enough it was actually a helpful distraction from how fried her nerves were. Perhaps it was just the ridiculousness of the current situation.
Clearing her throat she decided to humor the woman and maybe even stall her from reporting her car missing, since it seems Rachel had chosen to call her stolen phone first just to chastise her.
"Well, Rachel Berry, I was in need of a car. Yours just happened to appear at an opportune time for me to steal it."
There was a rustle over the phone and what sounded like muffled voices until Rachel's voice came clear through the end.
"You-you needed a car? For what? And why my car? It's nothing really special, you know. If you were planning on selling parts or something, I mean. Also there were other cars in the lot, so why didn't you steal one of those instead? I mean, well, okay, not that I'm saying that you should've stolen one of their cars because stealing is bad and you really shouldn't have done that but…"
"You wish that it hadn't been yours, but someone else's car, that I had stolen," Quinn stated with a soft chuckle. "Maybe you shouldn't have forgotten to lock the car in your rush. And no, it not for parts, I just needed a car to take me where I need to go."
"There are other means of transportation if you couldn't afford your own car! What is your name? Where are you?"
"Those other means of transportation are exactly the reason why I decided it was time to get a car." Quinn scoffed once more, amazed that Rachel would actually think she'd reveal her name or whereabouts to her.
"I am a criminal, remember? Telling you my name or where I am would be a mistake on my part. Wouldn't want to increase any odds of getting caught, now would I?"
"I want my car back. You need to turn around and return the car to me. I demand you do so. Then maybe I won't involve the police and we can just settle this between us."
"I can't do that, and I can't trust that you wouldn't have the cops waiting to arrest me if I were to even entertain the thought of doing so. It's too risky, and honestly, I don't take too kindly to being ordered around. You'll just have to use those other means of transportation you mentioned, Berry. You'll survive."
"Ha ha. How about this? You can abandon the car, tell me its location and I can retrieve it. We can dismiss this as a stupid mistake and not involve the cops. See? You can trust me. So, please return -"
"No. That is not happening. I have to do this. I've been planning this for weeks!" Banging her fist against the wheel, Quinn could feel her anxiety worsening again. Rachel was no longer being a good distraction.
"Then undo these ridiculous plans! How could you ever think committing such a crime was a grand plan to have? Anyone else would have reported their car stolen already and I'm trying to work with you here. You can trust -"
"No, no, no. I don't know you and you don't know me. Don't delude yourself. There is no trust here."
Quinn tensed thinking she saw a police car down a street and eased up on the pedal. Last thing she needed was to be pulled over for speeding in this car.
"Well, I am not giving up. Return the -"
"I'm done," she interrupted again. "You're not getting it back. Deal with it." Quinn have had enough of this conversation. She needed to be hyper aware of everything and drive as far as she can before exhaustion caught up with her.
As she ended the call, cutting Rachel off mid-pleads, she softly whispered one last word. "Sorry…"
Turning the phone off, she chucked it back on the passenger seat and took a moment to appreciate the sudden silence.
Now she feeling a little guilty, but she had meant it when she said she had to do this. She wasn't about to turn back and possibly get thrown in jail, when she was so close to finally living out her dream of distancing herself from everything bad and living without restriction.
She just needed to get as much distance as she could from New York. It was going to be a long night.