Rachel closed the door to the hotel room and walked farther inside. She wandered around the room idly, trying to find something to do. Since she could find nothing better to do, and she did not want to disturb the other guests by rehearsing her song of the moment, a more indie-style version of "Call Me Maybe", she sat down on the couch and dialed Quinn's number.
"Hello?" Quinn picked up on the second ring. "Rachel?"
"Yeah, hi Quinn!" Rachel said, surprised by how perky her voice sounded. She cleared her throat and re-situated herself on the couch to a more casual position. "How are you?"
"I'm fine," Quinn said. "I'm getting ready for my date with Joe tonight."
"Oh, how are you two?" Rachel asked.
"We're okay," Quinn said blandly. To Rachel, it sounded like Quinn was...maybe, unhappy? Or maybe she was just busy doing her hair or something.
"Are you busy?" Rachel asked.
"No, no, we can talk," Quinn said. "Getting ready alone is boring anyway. So, when do you think you're going to come back?"
"I have no idea, my dads didn't tell me," Rachel answered. "Maybe after the week is through, I think. Are you going to visit your dorms at Yale?"
"I already did," Quinn replied. "My mom and I went up the weekend we found out I got in. It's actually really nice. Do you like yours?"
"Yeah, they're great," Rachel said, wanting to get off this boring subject. Worried Quinn was losing interest in the conversation, she asked her another question. "So, what are you doing this summer?"
"I'm not quite sure yet," Quinn answered. "I know my mom and I are leaving next week for the beach. We're going to be there for two weeks."
"Oh," Rachel's face fell. She had been looking forward to seeing Quinn when she got home. Now she was going to have to wait longer to see her friend. She didn't know if she wanted to face Kurt when she got home. She still wasn't sure whether or not Kurt was okay with Rachel going to NYADA without him. Quinn was the eye of the storm in this whirlwind hurricane of emotions she felt. She was terrified that Kurt would hold a grudge and they would not longer be friends the same way as they had before. She was depressed Finn had broken up with her and was not with her right now. She was traumatized at night by visions of Finn's battered body in a casket.
When she thought of Quinn, she couldn't worry about those things. When she thought of Quinn, she wasn't quite as scared. Quinn was always so strong and confident. Quinn had gotten in a car crash that had paralyzed her from the waist down, and she had learned to walk again! Quinn had had a baby her sophomore year, and she was now going to Yale! If there was one person on this earth who Rachel wished she could grow up to be who wasn't Barbara Striesand, it would be Quinn Fabray.
Rachel knew that if Quinn like this, she would just carry on, so that's what Rachel did. "That's a shame," she said, "I would have loved to get together with you when I got back."
"Yeah, me too," Quinn said, her voice a little muffled. Rachel thought that she might be holding something in her mouth like a hairbrush or a bobby pin as she did her hair to get ready for her date. "But it isn't the end of the world. I'm sure we'll see each other before summer is over."
Hopefully, Rachel thought to herself. "So, when is Joe supposed to get there?"
"Um, in about five minutes, I think," Quinn said. "I'm pretty much done getting ready."
"What are you wearing?"
"Just a nice, casual dress and some sandals. I have my hair half-up, half-down," Quinn answered.
"Oh, cute," Rachel said. "I hope he likes it."
"Not like he ever says otherwise," Quinn chuckled. "You know, sometimes boys can be such enigmas."
"Trust me, I know," Rachel said, thinking about Finn; the time she spent pining after him, and the first few months they dated. Even now, he was an enigma to her. She had not even had a clue that he was going to break up with her and join the army.
Rachel heard the sound of a doorbell coming through the phone. She knew that Joe must have arrived to take Quinn on her date.
"Oh, that must be Joe," Quinn said. "I'll talk to you later, okay, Rachel?"
"Yeah, sure, have fun on your date!" she said, faking a smile, even though Quinn could not see her face.
Quinn hung up on Rachel, leaving both girls feeling a little melancholy and unsatisfied.
