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Sorry for such a short chapter.
"Oh great." Rachel muttered as she glanced at the time on her car's dashboard. She was late due to the fact that it was impossible to find a parking spot within a close range of Quinn's house. Giving up, Rachel parked a ways down the block and jogged her way to Quinn's. "Just my luck."
With Quinn's house finally in site, Rachel slowed her pace and realized how balmy the air was tonight. She could feel beads of sweat dripping down her face and wished she had worn a thinner cardigan. Before stepping inside, Rachel smoothed her hair, fixed her slightly fallen dress, and slipped on the pair of one inch heels she was holding.
Air condition. Rachel smiled with happiness as she entered the beautifully decorated house. The layout was gorgeous and Rachel appreciated the warm hues that the house was fixed in. While captivated in the decor, a man who obviously had spent too much time at the open bar knocked into Rachel. "Fuck." He cursed as his drink went spilling onto Rachel's back. "My fault."
"Yes, this is precisely your fault." Rachel squealed and stripped off the drenched cardigan.
"At least you're wearing a black dress." The man in his fifties gave a weak smile and went off in the other direction.
This is not my night.
Rachel scanned the room in search of Quinn, but it was hard to spot a single person in the mass of men in suits and women in summer dresses. Making her way to the back, Rachel felt pairs of eyes on her and became insecure as she realized how scantily dressed she was without the cardigan on. Slipping it back on, Rachel became a little dizzy from the strong smell of wine and pulled it back off. She then threw it in one of those vase things and went back to her search for Quinn.
"Oh my - Rachel?"
Rachel turned to the voice and saw Quinn gaping at her and a boy behind her who seemed to be doing the same.
"Hi Quinn, sorry I'm late. I couldn't find a parking spot and then I had to jog here. Oh, and some man spilt wine all over me so I had to take the cardigan I was wearing off. I know I look like a mess right now, but I'm sorry. I promise I didn't look like this twenty minutes ago." Rachel rambled on not being stopped by either Quinn or the boy.
Quinn just stood nodding her head like a fool at the sight of Rachel in front of her. Who was this girl? Rachel's hair was a little messy, her cheeks pink, and that dress ... well that dress was a whole other story. The girl's bare shoulders showed that the girl that been tanning this summer and that dress hung to all the right places. All the right places.
"Um, Quinn?"
"Yes." Quinn responded hazily and then remembered where she was and who she was with. "Maybe you should change. Not that you don't look nice and all, but - uh - just ..." She muttered to the brunette and suddenly remembered Lucas. "It was nice talking with you." Quinn brushed the boy off and led Rachel upstairs.
"Who was that?" Rachel teasingly questioned as Quinn went through her closet in search of something for Rachel."
"No one."
"He didn't look like a no one." Quinn turned around and gave Rachel a look. "Alright, he's a no one." She giggled.
Quinn laughed along and finally pulled out one of her dresses from a year or two ago. "Here, it should fit." Before handing it Rachel she gave the girl one last long look. Why does Finn Hudson of all guys get to have her? Quinn then bit her lip as she tried to shut the thoughts that were sounding off in her head. "You can change in the bathroom.
Collapsing on the bed, Quinn tried to shut out the voice in her head. The one that kept giving Rachel all these compliments, the one that kept telling Quinn to let Rachel wear that dress a little longer. Quinn gave up though, it was Rachel and soon enough the girl would probably do something to annoy the daylights out of her.
"Better?" Rachel stepped out of the bathroom, the dress a little too long, but thankfully a lot more appropriate than the other.
"Mhmm."
Rachel lied down beside Quinn and deeply sighed. "Thanks for inviting me tonight. I haven't really seen anyone besides Finn and I sort of missed hanging out with a girl. Too much testosterone is never a good thing. "
"Agreed." Quinn responded and glanced sideways at the girl. "Rachel?"
"Yes, Quinn?"
"I know I've been horrible to you in the past, but I was wondering if you would forgive me." The blonde felt that with senior year coming up, it was finally time to settle things with Rachel. No more competing, no more viciousness. What was the point? Quinn had no more reasons to be mean to the girl.
"Of course I forgive you." Rachel reached out towards Quinn and rested her hand on the taller girl's wrist.
Quinn went to grab Rachel's hand to so that she truly was ready to move on from the past, but felt it would crossing boundaries. While looking into Rachel's big brown eyes, a question that had been resting on Quinn's mind was ready to be asked. "How's your relationship with Finn going?"
Rachel gave Quinn a hesitant look and pulled back a little. She didn't want to talk to about Finn, she wanted all that stupid stuff to be forgotten about tonight and just hang out with the pretty blonde beside her. "Can we save that discussion for another time? I'm starving." She sat up and tugged on Quinn's hand.
Back downstairs the two girls grabbed plates of food and Quinn was pleased with Rachel's reaction to the pasta that was being served. Settling on a lone couch in the corner, the two girls chowed down their food quickly and chatted about their trip to New York. "I'm sorry Rachel, but how did you not realize that those Cats tickets were fake?" Quinn giggled at the memory of Rachel getting all excited about a play that went off broadway.
"I was drunk off of love Quinn."
"Your love for Finn?" Quinn asked sharply without intention.
"No silly. My love for New York City." Rachel shouted and went back to her food. She had noted the harshness in Quinn's voice and wondered if the blonde was truly over Finn. He was her first love after all.
"There you are sweetie." Mrs. Fabray came over to the two girls and smiled pleasantly. "You must be Rachel."
"Yes Mrs. Fabray. Your house is lovely."
"Why, thank you." Judy beamed. She was always fond of her house and really appreciated the compliments she received about the decor. "How are you liking the pasta?"
Rachel held up her clean plate to show how delicious it was. "Amazing."
"Oh good. I was afraid that whatever Quinn was cooking earlier for you might have been poison."
"Mom." Quinn motioned for her to stop speaking, but Rachel's curious eyes widened as she waited for Mrs. Fabray to continue on.
"You should have seen Quinn trying to cook. It was one of the funniest sights." Judy laughed at the thought. "Let's just hope you end up with someone that can cook honey." Standing up, Judy said something about having to go mingle and made her way through the web of people.
Rachel playfully grinned at the pink cheeked blonde. The thought of Quinn cooking for her made her smile more than anything and could picture the girl dressed in a white apron with ingredients all over the place. "Awh, Quinn Fabray actually went out of her way to cook for Rachel Berry? I think this a breakthrough. We shall celebrate!"
Quinn gave the brunette a dirty look before turning away in attempts to hide her blushed cheeks. "Wait here." Quinn ordered before grabbing both their plates and placing them in the trash. "Two glasses of champagne." Quinn told the man behind the open bar who gave her a questioning look. "Please." She leaned in sexily which caused the bartender to spill a cup of olives.
While waiting for the man to pour the drinks, Quinn peaked over at Rachel who sat with a smile placed on her innocent face. To anyone in this room, she looked fine, if anything, very happy, but Quinn saw past the smile and dazzling brown eyes. She knew something was different about Rachel, maybe not life-shattering different, but enough to make Rachel just ... different.
Growing impatient, Rachel scanned the room for Quinn with curiosity as to what was taking the girl so long. Maybe she was talking to that boy, he was very attractive and Quinn never stayed single for too long so why wouldn't she go for him? He seemed to have that alpha male thing going for him, something Quinn obviously liked in her men. As the idea of Quinn ditching Rachel for the boy became more sensible to her, Rachel felt a little jealous.
"Follow me." Quinn whispered in Rachel's ear before making her way through the throng of people.
Being knocked out of her negative thoughts, Rachel quickly got behind her. "Where are we going?" Rachel asked as she saw the devilish grin on Quinn's face and the two glasses she was holding.
"Just follow." Quinn shook her head at the nosey brunette. Once she reached the back door, she pushed Rachel through and followed behind. "Here." She handed the slender champagne glass to the hesitant brunette.
Walking carefully, the two girls made their way to the old play set in the Fabray's yard and each took a seat on one of the red plastic swings. Rachel looked at the drink as though it were poison, but quickly took a sip once she saw Quinn's warning expression. The last she had alcohol was the night she had made out with Blaine and discovered how 'clingy' ( according to Finn ) she was when drunk. "We should toast!"
"To what?"
Rachel bit her lip as she tried to come up with something. "To ... To our newfound friendship."
"So, we're friends?"
"Well ... uh, I didn't mean to assume things. Assuming makes an ass out of you and -"
"I'm just kidding Rachel." She laughed and clinked Rachel's glass. "To being friends." Taking a long sip, Quinn felt the alcohol burn down her throat and felt her limbs loosen. Smiling at Rachel, she encouraged the girl to take another sip. It was part of her plan.
Rachel may talk a lot ... even more than a lot, but it seemed that the girl had a hard time talking about the things that were really hurting her and right now Quinn could tell something was up with Rachel. If getting the brunette a little tipsy was a way of finding out that information then she had to do what she had to do. "I shouldn't be drinking this. I drove here and-"
"No worries. You can stay over."
Two glasses of champagne later, the girls found themselves lying on the grass looking up the full moon that shone eerily above. The sounds of classical music and good byes from party goers could be heard in the background, but all Rachel focused on was the humming that came from the blonde beside her. It was so quiet that Rachel wondered if Quinn even realized she was doing it.
"Can I ask you something as a friend?" Quinn turned her head towards Rachel, knocking the girl out of her hypnosis to Quinn's humming. "Is everything okay? Please don't proceed to tell me how your fine and how everything is just dandy because I can tell something is wrong."
"Dandy?" Rachel giggled. "Who uses the word dandy?"
"Don't try and change the subject."
Rachel wished she could sink in the ground and end up somewhere else. She didn't want to talk about it. She didn't want to talk about her relationship with Finn or the stress he was putting on her. In the past two weeks she had slept through her alarm clock twice. TWICE. Rachel Berry never slept through her alarm. "Quinn ..."
"Is it Finn? Is he hurting you physically?" Quinn sat up, her face void of a smile. If there was anything she was against, it was abuse, both mentally and physically. She had seen what it did to her mother and would never wish that pain upon her worst enemy.
"Of course not!" Rachel shot up. "He has never laid a hand on me. Why would even assume such as thing?" She asked with slight anger. Quinn had no right in accusing her boyfriend of physical abuse.
"You're skinnier Rachel." Quinn grabbed Rachel's' bony wrist and held it up. "You have dark circles under your eyes and you talk a lot less. I can tell something's wrong."
Rachel looked anywhere else but Quinn's face. She knew that if she looked into the blonde's mesmerizing hazel eyes she would crack. She could feel the tears starting to form in her the corners of her eyes and that tight feeling that kept growing in her throat.
"Look at me Rachel." Quinn yelled with frustration and grabbed the girl's chin in order for her to look up. "I'm your friend now. Please tell me what's wrong."
Cracked, broken, unlocked. Once Rachel looked into Quinn's eyes she knew she couldn't stop the words that were already curled up on her tongue. "My relationship with Finn has been difficult these past few weeks. His temper has been a little out of hand. No, he has not been physically hurting me, but sometimes he'll throw a book or two and of course I get scared. Finn doesn't mean it though. Once he calms down he apologizes and sometimes he'll even buy me a rose or chocolate."
By the time Rachel was done speaking, Quinn's left hand was curled with Rachel's and her right hand was running through her brown hair. "Rachel, that's not a healthy relationship."
"But he loves me, Quinn, and I love him."
Quinn wiped away the tears falling down Rachel's cheeks. "He can hurt you Rachel. Maybe not now, but what happens that one time when you do something that really upsets him? Look at you Rachel, look at what he's doing to you. You don't deserve that."
Rachel nodded and found her way into Quinn's arms. She quietly cried while the blonde just stroked her hair. "Please don't tell anyone."
"Of course not." Quinn assured the shaking girl. Even though she still had issues to address with Rachel about Finn, she felt that tonight wasn't right and led the girl up to her room. Handing the girl a pair of shorts and t-shirt, she quickly changed as well.
Rachel emerged from the bathroom and smiled at Quinn Fabray. "Thanks for listening to me."
"That's what friends are for."