My hand slipped.

Quinn held the envelope in her hands. The paper had become damp and wrinkled from her clammy hands. She hoped the ink wouldn't smudge.

She had slaved over the letter for hours. Writing and rewriting. Making sure every word was perfect. After a week, she finally grabbed an envelope and sealed the message inside.

Quinn walked down the hallway passing row after row of lockers. Her pace was slower than usual as her nerves began to take over.

273, 274, 275

Locker 275. This was the only way. The cheerleader could never deliver the letter in person.

Quinn slid the envelope through the middle slot and pushed it through. She heard the soft clink as it hit the metal at the bottom.

It was done.

XXX

Three days had passed and Quinn hadn't heard anything. The blonde saw Rachel every day. There was no change in the brunette's behavior. There was no indication she had even received the letter.

Quinn's anxiety had risen to dangerous levels. Every text she received sent scrambling for her phone. Every time Rachel was in the same room the blonde's heart nearly beat through her chest. But the brunette showed no signs of discomfort. She happily went through her day oblivious to Quinn's struggle.

…

Quinn sat through glee club desperately trying to distract herself with her book. But a book could not block out the voice that filled the room as Rachel performed yet another solo. To Finn.

As the class came to an end Quinn closed her book and rose from her chair to make a quick exit, but before she could make her way to the door a voice interrupted her. "Quinn, do you mind staying for a few minutes?"

The blonde turned around to see Rachel with a sweet smile and a sulking Finn. "I thought we were going to practice." He whined.

"Something came up. Can we do it tomorrow afternoon?" Rachel asked as she turned to face him.

Finn smiled down at Rachel and shook his head in approval. "Awesome." The boy quickly placed an awkward kiss to Rachel's cheek and walked out of the room.

Quinn glanced at him as he walked away before turning her attention back to Rachel. "What do you want to talk about?"

Rachel rolled her eyes at the blonde and folded her arms over her chest. "Quinn, please don't play dumb. You left a very - interesting letter in my locker. I apologize for the delay in my response and for Finn's inappropriate affections."

The blonde rose an eyebrow at Rachel, but she didn't respond. She had to keep her guard up because even though she wanted this, she knew she wasn't going to hear what she desperately needed to.

"Quinn, I'm trying to help you." I would appreciate it if you would cooperate."

"How is this helping me?" Quinn said flatly.

"Because clearly you are struggling with your sexuality. I want to help you." Rachel explained. It was obvious that the brunette was becoming frustrated with the situation. But Quinn would rather she hate the blonde than pity her.

"Why do you assume that I need help?" The blonde asked, challenging Rachel's patience.

"You wrote a detailed letter confessing your love - to me. Clearly you are confused."

"I am not confused."

"Quinn, if the way you show love for someone is by throwing slushies in their face and calling them manhands you have some serious issues."

The blonde shrugged with a devious smile. Maybe she could play this off as a joke and it would all go away.

"Okay, clearly you are not ready to talk about this. So I'll just tell you how I feel about this and give you your space. I don't have romantic feelings for you. However, I respect and admire you as a person. I do want you to be happy and be comfortable with who you are. But this is not going to happen. I love Finn. I have for a long time and I am willing to go out of my way to help you, but I cannot reciprocate your feelings."

Quinn's heart sank. She felt like she was falling apart. She knew this was coming, but she still had a sliver of hope. But she knew it was true. She was a monster and Rachel could never love someone like her. She wanted to respond but she was too caught up in her own thoughts to form any coherent words. It must have been written all over her face because Rachel had gone from defensive to worried.

"Quinn? Are you alright?"

Rachel took a step towards Quinn and the blonde finally found her voice. "Yeah, I'm fine. I don't need a friend right now. I have to go."

The blonde walked towards the door as quickly as she could. "Quinn?" Of course, Rachel would try to stop her.

Quinn stopped but she refused to turn around. "I'll be here, whenever you're ready."