Rachel buried her face in her hands at Jacob's unexpected outburst, and it did not take long at all for Quinn to take advantage of the situation, and insult her even further.
"You know, I cannot fail to notice how alike Jewfro's dramatic storm out was to your theatrical flare you grace us with when something is not going your way, Treasure Trail." The blonde cheerleader laughed.
The Jewish girl's jaw tightened at her remark, and she looked at her with disapproval and hurt shining in her eyes. "Did you really just compare me to Jacob?" She asked in an incredulous voice. "Wow, I always knew you were a bitch, but I was trying to give you the benefit of the doubt, and hoped you still had some class, especially after what recently happened in your life. To think you could still be so vicious is something I never thought I would see, but I guess just as a leopard never changes its' spots, neither do you." She said to the shock of everyone present.
It was very rare to see Rachel Berry standing up for herself, but she could not believe Quinn Fabray had the nerve to say that she and Jacob Ben Israel had anything in common.
"Oh, burn!" Artie quipped, as his gaze trailed back and forth the girls.
"How dare you talk to me like that, Stubbles?" Quinn screeched, her face red from anger, and embarrassment.
"Rachel!" Finn hissed, looping a protective arm around the blonde's waist. "You have no right to talk to Quinn that way."
Rachel barked a very bitter laugh. "Right on schedule, the White Knight reporting for duty on protecting his Fairy Princess." She shook her head. "Did it ever occur to you how much of a fucking hypocrite you are? Because if not, I would take a very good look in the mirror, and think about the fact that it seems alright for you guys to treat me like I am trash, but I am out of line, when I stand up for myself." She rolled her eyes, folding her arms in front of her chest. "If I say anything to any of you I am simply being dramatic. Rachel drama queen Berry throwing another hissy-fit, isn't it?" She asked, and the Glee kids had the decency to avert their eyes in shame.
Mr. Schuester's eyebrows disappeared in his hairline, he was so stunned that the little Diva actually spoke up for herself and cursed, he did not expect that, and a glance at his students told him that neither did the kids. Something akin to a little pride bubbled in the pit of his stomach, but it mixed with the stinging guilt that he felt from justifying to leave Rachel to fend for herself amidst hungry wolves ready to pounce on her.
He could see it clearly now how affected Miss Berry really was by all the bullying going on in the club, but he still thought this would prepare her for the life she desired. The path to stardom was paved with pain, tears, and countless obstacles to overcome, but he firmly believed that she would be all the stronger for it.
Quinn broke free of Finn's hold, and was about to march up to Rachel to give her a piece of her mind accompanied by actual physical violence, when Puck halted her way.
"Don't even think about it, Baby Momma!" He said in a low voice. "Berry did not say or do anything to warrant what you were about to do."
Quinn seethed, and actually shook with anger. "Get out of my way, Puck!" She demanded, her fingers jabbing at his chest. "You heard what she said. You heard her allude to my pregnancy..., allude to what happened with Beth. How can you stand here and say that what I want to do to her is not warranted?" She shouted at him.
Noah Puckerman's eyes darkened. "Quinn," He said sternly, actually using her name for once. "We all heard you insult Rachel multiple times, you do it every day, and she just takes it, heaven only knows why the hell she puts up with all of our crap, but she does, and the one time she actually grows some balls and stands up for herself, you get furious, because she is right... How typical of Queen Q. to be unable to take a few home truths." His eyes narrowed, as he folded his arms in front of his chest, while Rachel's jaw dropped in awe at his words. "Let's get real, Babe, you are no Angel, who is deserving of any sort of morale high ground around here. You part the crowd with a single glare, you cheated on your boyfriend with me, and we had sex, and you got pregnant with my child no less, and you actually pulled the wool over Finnocence's eyes, and told him the baby was his. You lied to him for the sake of your reputation, and got me to go along with it. You viciously bully Berry every single day, and get the cheerleaders and jocks to follow your example, just so you can satisfy your hunger for power and keep sitting on your social throne. You put my Jewish American Princess down, because you are jealous of her talent. You bully Rachel Berry, because you know that she is going places. You know that she is going to get out of this god forsaken town, and her name will be lit up in neon lights, as they proclaim her presence to the world. People will be flying to see her perform on Broadway, and you can't stand the thought that she is better than you."
Miss Fabray's eyes filled with tears as Puck's words – cruel as they were – rang true in her ears. It destroyed her inside that he saw down to her very soul, yet defended that obnoxious little songbird instead of her. Her hand flew up to his face, as she slapped him hard, her emotional pain evident in the sharp sting, and the perfectly red hand-print she left behind.
Rachel was sitting stock still on her seat, staring at Puck and Quinn with shock reflecting in her bright eyes, as a few teardrops trickled down on her cheek. Never had anyone defended her so fiercely before, apart from her Daddies. "Oh Noah..." She whispered quietly to herself, not brave enough to actually interrupt their argument. She felt Mike's hand slip into hers, and she glanced at him to see him smiling at her softly in support. She squeezed his hand in acknowledgement of his good intentions, her chest constricting at the alien feeling of actually having someone to back her up. Was it how it felt to have friends?
"How dare you, Puckerman!" Quinn hissed at him, her eyes blazing with molten lava. "You do not know the first thing about me. Actually, none of you do, so do not dare presume that you can tell me how I feel, because you do not have even the slightest inkling of what makes me tick. And you never will. Ever." She emphasized, picking up her messenger bag, flinging it over her shoulder, ready to fly out of the Auditorium, when Mike's voice gave her pause.
"Well, why do you assume you know Rachel then?" He asked lowly, standing up from his seat. "You can't play the offended party, when you are guilty of the very same thing that you are accusing Puck of doing to you. That's not how it works..."
Quinn paled a little, but she quickly masked it with anger. "You know what? Fuck you, Chang! No one asked your opinion, and I for one do not buy this 'let's be nice to Berry' kick you have going on. It's disturbing and unnatural, and frankly disappointing. You can do all of us a favour, and crawl back to your quiet little corner... all you do is wriggle and spin, and do some dance moves, you cannot even sing."
At that Tina jumped up from her seat, and spun around to face the blonde. "Alright, Quinn, that's enough. I understand that Rachel annoys you, frankly she annoys a lot of people." She sighed, and glanced at her. "Sorry, but it's true." She softly said, and the Jewish girl nodded her consent, she knew this. "I also understand that you are angry at the things Puck said, but that doesn't give you the right to attack Mike, when he simply pointed out something important that we should all acknowledge: we do not know Rachel, we only know what we want to see, and that's it."
"Thanks Tee." Mike grinned at his on-again, off-again date, and turned towards Fabray. "Well, for your information, just because I prefer dancing to singing, it doesn't mean I cannot carry a tune."
Quinn's eyes flashed with annoyance, but she ignored Tina, like she was insignificant, her eyes zeroing in on Mike. "Prove it!" She demanded, her left hand resting on her hips, in a challenging gesture.
Mr. Schuester was inwardly groaning at having to handle what sounded and looked like a cheap Brazilian soap opera. "Quinn, Mike is as much of a member of the Glee club as you are, he doesn't have to prove anything..."
"With all due respect, Mr. Chin-a-ton, is this really what you are commenting on?" Santana asked incredulously. She was avidly listening to the confrontation, ever since the little Midget opened her mouth to snap back at Q., which frankly impressed her, especially when she told off Frankenteen. "Between the Hobbit being inspired to finally grow a spine, and the charming vocal dressing down Puck gave Fabray, and our Tubbers stinging back like the queen bee that she is, of course it makes so much sense that your only input would be that Chang doesn't have to sing." She snorted sarcastically.
"Santana..." Will warned, but he was interrupted.
"Satan does have a good point, Mr. Schue. If you are not going to get involved when people's feelings are at stake, I think you should not get involved at all..." Kurt dryly drawled.
"Listen to my Dolphin." Brittany chimed in with her sweet voice, leaning her face on Miss Lopez's shoulder. "Dolphins are gay sharks." She added for good measure.
Kurt and Mercedes shared an amused glance and grinned at each other. Meanwhile Puck was holding on to his cheek, as his Baby Momma packed some heat into that slap. He smirked to himself. It was so typical that he would be attracted to feisty women, but he was sick and tired of Quinn's attitude, especially towards Berry, so he let her have it. It was high time he stood up for his Jewish American Princess.
Mr. Shuester folded like a pack of cards. "Alright then. Let's hear your improvised performance, Mike." He sighed, as he buried his face in his hands. He could only hope the kids who came to audition did not get tired of waiting for their turn.
The tall Asian guy smiled and glanced at Rachel. "Care to help me out a bit, Miss Berry?" He asked with a cheeky wink.
Rachel chuckled at his playfulness. "I would be delighted, Mr. Chang. What did you have in mind?" She mused out loud, and her eyes sparkled with joy, as he whispered that he wanted to sing 'Shut Up and Dance' by Walk The Moon. She thought it was a wonderful choice. The song really suited Michael, and secretly it was one of her favourite dance tunes.
Mike grinned and picked up his phone, as he had a purely instrumental arrangement of the song on it, and cranked up the volume, before putting it on the chair, and grabbing Rachel's hand, he started to sing in time with the melody.
"Oh don't you dare look back
Just keep your eyes on me
I said you're holding back
She said..."
Rachel joined him in singing the next part, keeping her voice light and airy.
"...shut up and dance with me."
The Asian teenager's eyes gleamed with mischief as he twirled Rachel around between the chairs, while his voice took on a slightly audacious tone, as he serenaded her.
"This woman is my destiny
She said..."
Rachel laughed, as her skirt flared out, as the skillful dancer spun her around. She harmonized with him, her voice complimenting his raspy alto sound.
"Oh oh oh
Shut up and dance with me..."
He let go of Rachel's hand, to do some surprisingly complex legwork, considering how little space there was for sweet dance moves around the chairs of the Auditorium, but he did not want to use the stage. He rolled his shoulders, and swayed his hips, and pulled up Brittany to dance with her, delighting in her joyous laughter, as the blonde cheerleader was aching to join in on the fun.
They moved together seamlessly, their bodies mashing, moving, rotating and twisting to the beat in perfect harmony. It was obvious to everyone with a pair of functioning eyes that they were both passionate and incredibly talented when it came to dancing.
"We were victims of the night
The chemical, physical, kryptonite
Helpless to the bass and the fading light
Oh we were bound to get together
Bound to get together..."
Brit spun out of Mike's arms, towards Rachel, grabbing a hold of her hand, and twirling her around her taller frame, as Mike whirled up to them, singing the next part of the lyrics.
"She took my arm
I don't know how it happened
We took the floor and she said..."
They both actually took one of the boy's arms, as he sang that line, and moved against him, bobbing their heads, and swaying their hips in time to the upbeat tempo, as all three of them harmonized.
"Oh don't you dare look back
Just keep your eyes on me
I said you're holding back
She said shut up and dance with me
This woman is my destiny
She said oh oh oh
Shut up and dance with me..."
At this point the whole of the club joined them in singing the rest of the song, except Quinn, who was frozen and fuming at the sight of what was happening around her. She could not believe that Chang could actually sing, and she had to admit to herself, that he wasn't half bad. It irritated her to no end that he asked Man-hands to sing with him, and even flirted with her... It was disgusting.
She refused to join the fun, when Finn was dumb enough to actually attempt to pull her into the dancing and singing. As if she would stoop so low, when this was her challenge. No freaking way. They could make fools of themselves all they wanted without her, as Quinn Fabray was no fool.
As the number finished, with Mike twirling Rachel, and dipping her low, then pulling her close to his body, he glanced at the cheerleader with a smirk on his face. "Still think that I can't sing?" He quipped, as he set the Jewish girl down, and grabbed his phone, to turn the music and the volume off.
"That was tons of fun!" Brittany squealed, as she was still twirling Santana around.
The Latina chuckled at her best friend's childlike enthusiasm and looked at Mike. "I have to say, I did not think you had it in you, Chang."
He simply rolled his eyes and smiled a good-natured smile. "I think that today should be a lesson to all of us, that even though we sing and dance together, most of us do not really know each other."
"Whatever... I am out of here, I cannot look at you losers any more today." Quinn scrunched up her nose, and turned to Rachel. "I hope you realize that just because you got lucky today, and two overgrown Neanderthals decided to stick up for you, it does not mean that you actually have friends. Come tomorrow you will still be the freak that gets slushied in the face, and I will still be the one with the power to make your entire high school experience hell, while I don't even have to move my little finger." She laughed a sharp laugh, and stormed out of the Auditorium.
Rachel's expression was heartbreaking, as she realized that Quinn was right, and with that thought, her eyes became guarded, and her posture stiffened. She sit back down on the chair, numbly staring at her knees, and hoping to get the auditions over and done with, so she could go through with her plan. For a second there she forgot that she wanted to quit Glee, but clearly she was just caught up in the heat of the moment, because as much as she hated the pretty blonde girl, she was right.
Quinn Fabray luxuriated on the top of the social pyramid, while Rachel Berry was a social pariah. She was painfully aware of her place on the metaphorical food-chain, and as unexpected as this afternoon was, she should not expect anything else.
A/N: We have a lovely mix of Rachel standing up for herself, Quinn snipping at her viciously, and Mike and Puck sticking up for her for once, shocking her to her very core, only to be defeated by Quinn's words in the end.
I also had fun with Mike's singing bit. That was unexpected.
As much as I did not plan on the things I have written in here, Jewfro's audition opened a can of worms, that I did not expect, and it needed to be dealt with.
I hope you enjoyed reading this, and thank you for the support!
