Chapter 2: Finding a Photographer

AN: I first want to thank each and every one of you for your enthusiastic response to the introduction. I was honestly thrilled and surprised by every review/alert/favorite that I received. This definitely gave me motivation to continue. I have decided to lengthen and replace the introduction; I myself was personally disappointed when I saw how short it appeared once uploaded. Be that as it may, like I said in the warning, this will be published no matter how much I dislike it. I would probably be a lot less nervous if I had a beta to run this through before I posted *HINT*. Now, I'm going to end this before I put Rachel Berry's rambles to shame.

AN2: Okay, so I lied, I am writing notes before during and after the chapter it seems. Anyway I have decided to back up a bit from the end of the introduction to make this chapter all about the Photography Club meeting.


Rachel has probably only been to like 2 meetings of the photography club since she rejoined this year. The same could be said for her freshman through junior years also. She just likes to keep a very broad list of extracurricular activities, but you honestly can't expect her to have time to be in full attendance for all of them. So, with the exception of Glee club and her dancing classes, she only attends mandatory meetings and functions such as introduction and yearbook picture day. She was in every year book picture possible.

She spends the majority of the time waiting for the meeting to start by reworking her entire schedule to include the weekly meetings of this photography club, and watching the members as they trickle in trying to decide who she could possibly approach with her plan.

'Surely there has got to be someone here who I can trust with both my future career and I can believe would be capable of doing this without making it look ridiculous and silly, or possibly worse, like dirty pornography' She thought to herself as she tried to remember the names and key facts about each person as they entered the door.

Due to her personal need for punctuality, Rachel was the first one there excluding the teacher whose classroom this is anyway and had probably never left since the last class of the day.

The first few where people whose face she recognized but beyond that, and maybe a first name here and there, they didn't really stand out. Mostly it's the type you'd expect to see, hipsters, a few punk kids, stoners looking for an easy club to keep the school administrators off their backs, classic artistic types, dutifully fulfilling all the normal stereotypes while pretending this was original.

After a little while the faces got more familiar, as did the names and personalities. First, there was Thomas and Neal who had asked her to star in an Indie film for them the summer after sophomore year. They were nice guys, but she really didn't feel comfortable enough with them to trust them with her body, especially since she knew they had high ambitions for their 15 minutes of fame.

Then there was Kaitlin the quiet redhead from the drama club. Rachel remembers her from her short time there as the lead in Sandy Ryerson's rendition of Cabaret as the school musical, that is until his personal scandals got him fired once again and the musical cancelled. Rachel really didn't know her well enough to decide if she was an option or not.

Then in walked the one person who Rachel knew was in this club and who would also be the most willing, if she could afford the years upon years of therapy it would require to recover from the event. Jacob Ben Israel comes into the room, and as luck would have it, spots her immediately.

"Oh my, oh my, what do we have here? Rachel Berry? What brings you to our meeting today? Possibly a guest for a nude modeling shoot perhaps?" He wheezes out sitting in the only open seat right next to her.

Rachel makes a disgusted face and scoffs "I will have you know Jacob that I am a member of this club and I will be attending meetings more regularly now that my schedule has freed up. I would also appreciate it if you would keep your disgusting comments and your eyes to yourself. You wouldn't want me to make sure my fiancé gets the wrong idea about your behavior, now would you?"

Jacob looks slightly less motivated than before, but does not move from his seat. Rachel sighs and thinks to herself 'There are not enough words in any dictionary in any language to describe the number of reasons that he is completely not an option.' She rolls her eyes and starts to wonder if this plan is really even possible.

Just as Rachel is considering leaving before the teacher calls the meeting to order, the door opens and the most surprising member walks in commanding the attention of everyone in the room.

It amazes Rachel that Quinn Fabray still has this ability regardless of her situation. She never ceased to draw attention and part a crowd; even during the Baby-Gate scandal she still held the entire school in her thrall.

At the beginning of this year she took that to a new extreme when she dyed her hair hot pink and came in dressed completely Punk! No one could take their eyes off of her that first day of school, or the weeks following until she returned it to her natural blonde. However, that is not to say she looked ordinary or wasn't the object of many a conversation, thought or desire afterwards.

Quinn noticed Rachel right away and Rachel could see her beautiful lips start to quirk up in a smile. That is, until Quinn noticed that the only chair next to Rachel was occupied and by whom.

Quinn leveled him in a glare "You're in my seat Jew fro." she sneered.

"But Quinn, you stated clearly the first day that you prefer the window sill to any chair because it provides the best view" Jacob protested a bit weakly.

Quinn arched her eyebrow at him in true HBIC fashion, "The views have changed; now move and you better not have sweated in my chair."

Rachel is not sure if she has ever seen Jacob move that fast, he looked as if he surely feared his life. Quinn doesn't even spare him a glance as he leaves. She smiles down at Rachel with that look that makes Rachel believe that they really are friends no matter what the past has shown.

"Hi Rachel, it's quite the surprise to see you here" she says as she lays her coat over the recently vacated seat.

"I could say the same for you Quinn, thank you for helping me out there though. I was worried I would have to endure Jacob for the whole meeting."

Quinn laughed "There's a lot you don't know about me Rachel, and no worries, I would never leave you to fend for yourself among the likes of that" she nods in his general direction.

The rest of the meeting goes by uneventfully as Rachel and Quinn quietly discuss everything going on. Mostly Quinn is translating what is being said to Rachel who thinks this should be considered a foreign language club rather than part of the arts department.

This is easy to do without drawing the attention of the teacher since Rachel had originally chosen a seat towards the back of the class so that she could observe the different members of the club in hopes of finding the best candidate.

However, while listening to Quinn throughout the hour she had quickly forgotten her reason for being here and was completely involved in her conversations with the blonde.

Before they knew it, the meeting was over and everyone was packing up to head their separate ways. This was when Rachel remembered why she had come.

As they were walking to their lockers, Rachel mentally went through her list of the photography clubs members and realized there was really only one person who she could trust with this project. Quinn and Rachel have never really been friends, not in the traditional sense, and well sometimes not in any sense at all. There was a time when Quinn down right hated her, or that's how she acted anyway.

That is all in the past now, they have been more than acquaintances, but less than friends ever since prom. They really have always been there for each other in the strangest of ways anyway. Somehow always going to the other when in need of help or advice, or reaching out to help the other when no one else realized it was needed most.

Maybe she can ask Quinn to do this for her. Maybe Quinn is exactly the person Rachel needs.


AN: The next chapter will be about Rachel trying to get closer to Quinn, not only to improve the friendship they've both always wanted, but to find a way to ask for her help with the present.