Chapter 2: Quinn

"Get up, Quinn".

I scowl at my mother and bury my head under my pillow. With a mother like mine, there's no escape except the little privacy of a lone pillow.

"Leave me alone" I say roughly through the pillow. I don't want to go to school. Not ever.

"I'm not fucking around. Get up now or so help me. You are not going to be late for your first day of school".

Senior year. I should be proud that I actually made it. But after graduation, real life will start. College is a requirement. Senior year for me is like preparation for hell.

After a quick shower, I walk back into my bedroom and open my closet. I stop myself from thinking too hard about what to wear as I grab a summer dress and a plain cardigan to match.

Finally ready, I walk down the stairs to find my mother standing at the bottom of the staircase, scanning my outfit. I straighten. I know, I'm seventeen and shouldn't care about what my mother thinks. But you haven't lived in the Fabray household. My mother is a control freak and has anxiety. And not the kind that is easily controlled with little pills. And when my mom is stressed, then everyone in the house suffers. That's why my father leaves so early for work, so he doesn't have to deal with her.

"It's not summer and I hate that cardigan," she says.

"Good morning to you too, mother," I say pushing past her. I can smell her old lady perfume sting my nostrils, but she's dressed to the nines. No one can point a finger and criticize her outfit, that's for sure.

"I bought your favorite muffin for the first day of school" mother says, pulling out a muffin from a bag on the counter.

"Thanks". I wasn't willing to start a fight, so I just took it. Arguments are as pretty as a car wreck in my house, so avoiding them is crucial.

I glance at my watch, shit. It's ten after seven. My best friend, Santana, is going to kill me if I'm late picking her up. Grabbing my bag, I absently bite into the muffin in my hand while unlocking my car. Unfortunately it isn't blueberry, it's cinnamon raisin, and the raisins are all mushy. It reminds me of myself- seemingly perfect on the outside, but on the inside it's all just crap.