She ignored the delicious ache between her thighs the next day and barely acknowledged Ryan's presence at school. When she started throwing up at random times, she put it down to food poisoning. When she missed her period, she assured herself she was just stressed. But when Quinn found herself craving olives –she hated olives- in the middle of the night she couldn't deny it any longer.
The next day, instead of going to school, she drove to a pharmacy in the next county and bought herself a pregnancy test. She cried alone in the bathroom of a 7-11 when it turned out positive.
Then she did the only thing she could do, she told her boyfriend that she was pregnant and he was the father.
You see, Ryan Berry had big dreams, dreams that he told anyone who would listen. He was going to go to Julliard, he was going to be a star on Broadway, he was going to single-handedly revive the movie musical genre. Nowhere in his plans was there room for a baby and Quinn couldn't force that on him; this was her cross to bear.
Finn Hudson, on the other hand, had no dreams at all. He was probably going to end up working some mid-level job, making enough to ensure that his family led what would be described as a comfortable life and nothing more. Finn Hudson would never be rich or famous but he'd always be stable and that's what she needed, that's what her baby needed and she didn't feel bad about using him to get it.
Quinn would be lying if she said her motives for choosing Finn to be the father were entirely noble. Finn was the captain of the football team, he was popular, together they were the king and queen of McKinley; there was still the slightest chance that her reputation could survive falling pregnant to him. Meanwhile, if it was found out that she not only cheated on him with Ryan Berry of all people but was having Ryan's baby, her fall from grace would be so spectacular that it would go down in the McKinley record books. She'd be a cautionary tale for generations of Queen Bees to come.
Ryan hadn't been around when the rest of the glee club found out about the baby and for that Quinn had been grateful. Mr Schuester had given a solo to Finn that Ryan had already claimed as his own and Ryan had flounced out, quitting the club to play Billy Flynn in the production of Chicago that Mr Ryerson was putting on. At least Mr Ryerson appreciated his talent, he'd sneered as he walked out the door. But Quinn knew he was more upset about Finn taking yet another thing that he wanted than his talent being ignored.
Eventually, Ryan returned to Glee, his metaphorical tail between his legs, claiming he quit the play due to creative differences -once they discovered that Mr Ryerson had cast himself as Roxy Hart, nobody blamed him-. He'd come back just in time to hear Mercedes loudly announce Quinn's pregnancy.
Quinn had held her breath as Ryan turned to her with inquisitive eyes, they settled on her still flat belly and he tilted his head, worrying his bottom lip between his teeth like he did when trying to figure out a particularly hard equation -not that Quinn would know because she definitely didn't stare at him during Math class-. Only when he turned away and started scolding the rest of the club for neglecting to do their warm ups in his absence did she relax. He didn't remember...that hurt more than it should've.
###
Quinn should've known her good luck wouldn't last. Less than a week later, Ryan Berry was grabbing her by the arm and dragging her into an empty classroom.
"Excuse me," Quinn snarled at him. Outraged, she wrenched herself out of his grip loose grip. "What do you think you're doing? You can't grab me like that!"
"It's mine, isn't it," he said accusingly, looking angrier than Quinn had ever seen him.
Quinn sat heavily back on a desk, her knees to suddenly too weak to support her. "What are you talking about, Berry?"
"The baby that's currently gestating in your womb. It's mine."
"No, the baby is Finn's," Quinn said slowly, looking away from him, desperate to deny the truth for as long as she could. "You know, my boyfriend-"
"You mean the boyfriend you've never had sex with?" Ryan questioned impatiently. Quinn stared at him in wonder, he'd always claimed to be a little bit psychic maybe it was true. Maybe the baby she was carrying was half mutant. "Guys like to talk in the locker room, Quinn, it's amazing what you can overhear. I can't believe you managed to convince Finn that he managed to impregnate you via hot tub water. Everyone knows that the heat kills sperm cells, not makes them swim faster."
Quinn closed her eyes, blocking out Ryan's angry accusatory gaze. She didn't want him looking at her like that, it made her feel like the worst person in the world. "Okay, fine, you got me. It's not Finn's but it's not yours either," she said, hoping he'd let the matter drop. She was doing this for him, couldn't he see that? "We've never had sex."
"Yes, we have. The night of Puck's party."
"You remember that?" Quinn gasped. He'd never given any indication that he'd remembered anything from that night.
Ryan softened, stepping in closer to her. "Of course I remember," he said, in the same husky tone she heard in her dreams every time she closed her eyes since that night. "How could I forget it?"
Quinn looked up at him - Ryan may have been shorter than average, his height topping out at 5'9 but he still had a few inches on her- and the intensity blazing in his eyes made her want to forget all the lies and throw herself into his arms. But no, she couldn't do that to him. It had been her mistake, she'd been the one who took advantage of his drunkenness, she'd been the one who decided not to use a condom and she'd be the one to bear the consequences. Not him. "It doesn't matter. Finn thinks that this is his baby and that's the way it's going to stay."
"Quinn-"
"No! I don't care if this baby comes out singing and dancing, I will go to my grave swearing that it's Finn's."
Ryan grimaced, the hardness returning to his eyes. "And what if I tell him?"
Quinn seized him fiercely by his sweater vest, bringing his face down to hers. "Then I will never let you see it. If you don't keep your mouth shut, I will make sure that you never have any contact with your child, do you understand?" she snarled, hazel eyes blazing with anger that he would dare to threaten her.
Ryan's lips turned down into a sad frown and all Quinn wanted to do was kiss it away. "Fine," he relented reluctantly, easing her hands from his vest and taking a step back from her. "But you have to quit the Cheerios."
"Why?" The thought of voluntarily quitting was inconceivable to her, that uniform was the only thing keeping her on top of the social scrap heap. "I won't even be showing for another few months," she protested, defensively laying a hand across her still flat belly.
He looked at her in disbelief. "Quinn, the routines that Sue Sylvester forces you to do are extremely dangerous. If you fell, you could miscarry and lose the baby."
Quinn pushed herself off the desk, straightening her uniform she walked to the door. Mustering up her coldest look, she glanced back over her shoulder at her one time lover. "You say that like it'd be a bad thing."