Chapter Two

Rachel sat in her chair in the corner of the 711 drawing a picture of Quinn Fabray's face. People crowded around the slushie machine to the right of her, some commented on how cute she was, but Rachel didn't look up. Quinn's face was so hard to draw. The ponytail for example, how do people draw ponytails, Rachel wondered. And the nose. Quinn's nose was so small and feminine already, how do you get it to look pretty?

The nose on Rachel's Quinn had huge nostrils. Rachel started erasing the picture vigorously letting out a loud frustrated noise and snapping her pencil. A few customers stared but Rachel's eyes flew fearfully to her mother. She wasn't supposed to be loud when mommy was working. Shelby made eye contact with her daughter, handed the customer their change then came over to Rachel's corner.

"What's wrong baby?" She asked.

Rachel felt tears springing to her eyes. "Gah! I can't get it right," she spluttered "...Quinn."

Shelby looked down at the paper and grimaced sympathetically at Rachel. "Hang in their sweetie, I can help you with it when I'm done working, but for now draw something else."

"I don't want to draw something else!" Rachel surprised herself by her public whining.

"Rachel," Shelby warned, she could tell that Rachel was on the verge of a meltdown and she wanted nothing more than to comfort her or take her home for a nap, but already a line of customers had formed. Shelby wiped a few tears roughly from Rachel's face. "Draw a flower and be good so mommy doesn't have to punish you." Shelby said in an authoritative voice and left her sobbing daughter to tend the customers.

Rachel wiped at her tears and did her best to keep her crying quiet. Her head burned with embarrassment at breaking down in public like this.

Suddenly Rachel felt a soft hand on her shoulder and looked up.

"What's wrong Rachel?" Quinn said.

"N-nothing," Rachel replied, hastily trying to cover her drawing.

Quinn pushed her hands away. "Who is that?" Quinn said craning her neck to get a closer look, "is that me?"

Rachel watched in horror but couldn't think of anything to say but the truth. "Yes."

"I love it," Quinn said hugging her. "Its like were best friends. Can I have it?"

"When I'm done, yes."

"Yay! Bring it over to my house."

"Quinn!" Mrs. Fabray called. She had just finished paying for their snacks.

"Coming," Quinn called then turned back to Rachel. "I didn't know your mommy worked here."

Apparently Mrs. Fabray didn't either. Shelby was a little embarrassed to be seen by her new neighbor working at a place like this with her daughter crying in the background.

"Oh yeah." Rachel said.

"Bye. See you later," Quinn said waving.

"Bye," Rachel said. Even though the drawing needed to be perfect since she was giving it too Quinn, Rachel felt strangely calm. Quinn's hug had sent so much happiness and warmth through her. She used the new energy to draw, all the while imagining Quinn hugging her again when she gave it to her.

Shelby was so relieved when she finally made it home after a long day of working. She plopped the grocery bags on the table, and Rachel helped her put the vegetables into the refrigerator.

"Mommy?" Rachel asked when they were done. "Can I go over to Quinn's house? I finished the picture and want to give it to her."

"You finished it?" Shelby said relieved and a little impressed. "Let me see."

Rachel held up the picture of Quinn. The nostrils were still large but Rachel had made the nose a whole lot smaller.

"Its beautiful honey," Shelby said. "Yes, take it over straight away, but make sure to look both ways before you cross the street."

"I will."

"Good." Shelby ruffled her hair and kissed her on the head before Rachel scampered away. Through the screen door Shelby watched Rachel run to Quinn's house and make it there safely, not even tripping as she ran up the stairs. Shelby would have to have a talk with her about running on stairs later, but for now she could take a nice long hot shower then curl up on the coach and watch an adult movie.

Quinn answered the door when Rachel arrived and led her down the stairs to the basement, which she said was the playroom. From upstairs the sound of Mr. and Mrs. Fabray drinking and flirting could be heard but was muffled by the floorboards. Even if Rachel had understood what they were doing, she was too distracted to listen.

She presented the picture to Quinn shyly and smiled when Quinn said "I love it!" But was dissapointed that she didn't hug her.

Quinn was too busy retrieving something from beneath the couch."Here I made it. It's for you."

Quinn had also drawn a picture, but it was much more simple than Rachel's portrait. Two stick figures held hands. One had long hair and bangs and the letters 'R' 'A' 'K' 'E' 'L' were written above it. The other had a high ponytail and the name (this time not misspelled) Quinn was written above it.

"Its you and me." Quinn said pointing to each figure (which was good that she explained it because Rachel couldn't read).

"I love it!" Rachel repeated Quinn's words. Taking the initiative to make her own fantasies come true Rachel hugged her and Quinn hugged her back.

"We'll be best friends forever," Quinn said in a soft voice that sent happy shivers down Rachel's spine.

Rachel stayed at Quinn's so late playing pretend games that Shelby had to cross the street and ring the doorbell to pick her up. Rachel was excited to see her mom and tell her about all of the adventures she and Quinn had but was sad to be leaving. Quinn promised that Rachel could come over again tomorrow even though her parents were in their bedroom 'sleeping' and couldn't verify this. Shelby assured Rachel that even if it wasn't tomorrow she would see Quinn soon. Shelby was even hopeful that if Quinn and Rachel's friendship progressed she could use the Frabrays as babysitters and leave Rachel there while she was working.

After Rachel was washed and all ready for bed in her soft fuzzy pajamas, Shelby snuggled into bed with her and read her a bedtime story. It was about a knight riding to a castle and saving a princess from her evil parents. When Shelby was done reading Rachel looked at her very seriously. "Mommy," Rachel said slowly, "the princess looks like Quinn."

Shelby laughed. "Yeah, your right Rachel she does."

"I want to be a knight one day mommy and save a princess from a castle, but mommy," Rachel looked at Shelby in worry, "the knight in the story was a boy, can knights be girls?"

Shelby hesitated. She knew what a normal mother would say: 'of course knights aren't girls! Knights are boys silly, and besides you don't want to be a smelly old knight, then who will rescue you? The princess is who you want to be, so you can be saved and fall in love.'

At least that's what her mother would have said.

But looking into Rachel's large pleading eyes, and remembering the way she acted around Quinn, Shelby was prompted to say something else. "You can be whoever you want to be, and fall in love with whoever you want to love, and yes, its perfectly okay for girls to be knights and rescue their princesses and fall in love with them. Its even okay to be rescued by a girl knight in shining armor."

Rachel smiled and snuggled down deeper into her blankets. "I love you mommy," she said sleepily.

"I love you too Rachel," Shelby said kissing her on the head and untangling herself from Rachel to turn off the light. She paused at the doorway and surveyed the satisfied expression on Rachel's face. Her eyes were closed, and lips drawn up in the smallest of grins.

When Shelby slid into her own bed the sheets were icy cold. Shelby sighed and closed her eyes, wishing she had a lover to hold her or wake her when the nightmares came.

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