Chapter 2: The end of Innocence

I'msotiredofbeinghere

Suppressed by all my childish fears

And if you have to leave

I wish that you would just leave

Coz your presence still lingers here

And it won't leave me alone

Quinn smiled as she stood outside Beth's room, listening to her. She was holding a tray of Clam chowder. She slowly opened the door and found Beth sitting on her bed, strumming her guitar.

"Hi," Quinn said, "You're a really good singer. And you play the guitarwell, just like your dad." She smiled, "Sorry I just came in, I thought you'd want some soup, it's Clam chowder."

"Oh," Beth muttered, "Sorry, I'm…allergic to Clams. I thought you knew."

"Oh, oh, I'm…sorry," Quinn said, putting down the tray on the side table, "I'd just make something else."

"No, don't bother," Beth said, "I'm leaving, anyway," She then stood up, slung her guitar on her shoulders, and took her bag from her bedside drawer.

"Where are you going? It's 5 pm."

"Oh, just…gonna visit a friend," Beth said, "We're…studying, you know, we may have some pop quizzes tomorrow…"

Quinn took a deep breath, "Okay…Just, don't go home so late, okay?"

"Oh, I can't be sure," Beth said, "You know, we may do our projects and stuff…"

"Oh, okay," Quinn said, "Just call us."

"Yeah, sure," Beth muttered, gave Quinn a seemingly forced peck on the cheek and walked away.

"Hey, babe," Puck said as Quinn went inside Burt Hummel's tire shop which Puck now manages with Finn. Puck also part-times as a PE teacher in McKinley. Puck noticed that Quinn was looking gloomy. "You okay?" He asked, "What happened?"

"Beth went away,"

"What?"

"She went out, going to a friend's house, she said," Quinn sat down on a bench, "I just…I didn't know she was allergic to Clams."

Puck sat down beside Quinn and held her hand, "Honey," He said, "Come on, perk up, it'll be okay."

"She hates me," Quinn said, "She does."

"She's just...adjusting."

"By being this hard?"

"Quinn, she lost her mom."

"Well, I'm her…mother." Quinn muttered and took a deep breath.

"Look," Puck said, holding her hand, "Maybe we should just give her time,"

"You're allowing her not to come home?"

"Did she say that?"

"It seems like it,"

Puck sighed, "Maybe we shouldn't be too hard, let's give her time, she'll come around."

"I wish, Puck, I really wish."

"You told her you were allergic to Clams even if you really weren't?" Kurt and Blaine's adopted son, Zachary, asked Beth while they were eating Seafood Pasta at Kurt and Blaine's residence. Kurt was away, at a show, and will only be coming home tomorrow morning while Blaine was at Dalton where he teaches music.

"Yeah, well, she deserves it,"

"You're being too hard on her," Zachary said.

"She's just…I don't know. She can never be Shelby."

"But she's your birth mother."

"So?" Beth said, "You're adopted, you should know how I feel."

"Yeah, but, come on, Beth, stop being so mad at everyone."

"My mom just died, don't I have a reason to be mad?"

"It's not Quinn's fault."

"She's trying to be someone she's not."

"You're not giving her a chance."

"You have a perfect family,"

"Because that's how we feel," Zachary said, "You think other people would call my family perfect? No, they'd say we're freaks. Especially ages ago. But that doesn't matter. They love me, I love them, and though Quinn wasn't there everyday of your life, we both know that she's making up for it. She's been making up for it for a while now."

"Whatever," Beth said, "I'm heading to bed."

"What?"

"I'm sleeping over,"

"Do your parents know?"

"Shelby's dead," Was the only thing Beth said, and then she went off to Zachary's room.

The following morning, Kurt was whistling as he brought home some food. There were heaps of Pancakes on the tray he was holding. He went upstairs to got o Zachary's room.

"Zach?" Kurt said, "Goodmorning Zachary, I'm home. Blaine's asking if you wanna go to Dalton today, see if you wanna help at the charity event—" He then reached Zachary's room. He opened the door, "Zach," He then almost dropped the tray he was holding as he saw Beth Corcoran, getting up from the sheets, only in her lingerie.

"Oh my God," Beth said as she saw Kurt, "Oh God…"

Zach then got out of the bathroom, "Oh my God," He also said, "Dad,"

".God," Kurt repeated, "What in the world is going on?"

XXX