This isn't the same Rachel that fawned over Finn, I promise that and it will be clear in the first scene here.
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Chapter 3 – Why?
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It was the perfect song, she knew it was, but she couldn't help her disappointment when Finn stole her moment. She was on such a high while she was singing and she had the perfect response to Quinn's gratitude. There wasn't a doubt in her mind that Quinn appreciated her song choice, but in the end she was still left on the outside of her universe. Quinn Fabray was still a girl on an entirely different league than her; she realized that even though she'd been different towards her that day. 'Maybe she was just grateful that I didn't say anything about our meeting at Breadstix.' She reasoned. There really was no reason to think the name calling and the insults wouldn't simply begin again tomorrow.
But despite everything Quinn had put her through, the near daily slushy facials throughout freshmen year and really most of the early days her sophomore year as well, the hateful names, and the constant put downs. She truly didn't hate the other girl. It did occasionally perplex her how she didn't hold more animosity toward the blonde, but she often reasoned that it did make her stronger in the end. Not only that, but it would make for great reading in her memoir when it came out and she chronicled her high school years. Though her belief that Quinn's actions towards her made her a stronger person, was only a part of it. That was a fact she'd come to realize.
That's not to say it didn't hurt, because it did, but things were just…different where Quinn was involved. It wasn't anything she went out of her way to analyze, though the occasions she thought of explanations for why she was different, it always went back to her first thoughts that crossed her mind when she first saw the girl, 'She's the prettiest girl I've ever seen.' Rachel shook her head of such foolish schoolgirl fantasies, there was no sense thinking about something that was impossible.
It was silly really, to have a crush on the girl that made life miserable since the start of high school. The fact that she was a girl really didn't bother her; she had two dads after all, so she never really thought of love as being gender specific. Though she didn't even really know if what she felt was love or if it was something else, like an infatuation. She couldn't even say that she'd had a real conversation with the girl until recently and love wasn't something you could develop from admiring someone from afar. Admittedly the romantic in her did kind of enjoy the notion of love at first sight, but that wasn't very logical. Being as pretty and popular as Quinn was, Rachel had no doubt that the blonde cheerleader was the object of many crushes, but much like her, they were unworthy of her. The reality was that Quinn was pregnant, that alone clearly showed that the girl would have no interest in girls, 'Not like I would have ever been on her radar, even if she had that inclination.' She thought as she reached the choir room.
She quietly entered the choir room and gathered up her stuff from the empty room. She was sure everyone was still in the auditorium and while a part of her felt bad for leaving, she figured she was due a little self-preservation from time to time. She took a deep breath, 'Keep your head high.' She told herself and clutched her pink binder to her chest. 'I'm just glad she smiled like that…' She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. 'I even got a thank you.' She told herself and allowed a smile to cross her lips then. She opened her eyes and spun around to leave the room. Those simple gestures gave her the smallest hope that maybe she had a chance to have a civilized relationship with the girl and maybe if she was really lucky a friendship. Either way, she wasn't going to give up on trying to bring out the better person she truly believed Quinn could be, especially if those little moments were any indication.
Rachel exited the room and made a quick stop at her locker to pick up her math textbook for a homework assignment. Once she was done there, she took out her cell and looked at the time, 3:23, 'Daddy will be here shortly.' And with that thought she made her way to the school's exit near the parking lot. She was just about ready to open the door that lead outside, when a voice caught her attention.
"I didn't expect you to want to sing that song for Quinn."
She turned around and sighed when she saw Kurt standing a short distance away from her, 'I almost made it without running into someone from glee.' "It was something she needed to hear." She could see the surprised look on his face, so she added, "Is it really that hard to believe that I would want to cheer someone up? Singing is all about conveying your emotions and I'll have you know…"
"I thought you hated each other?" Kurt said, suddenly cutting off the diva's rant.
Rachel looked away from the boy in front of her, instead focusing on her foot, which was currently restlessly fidgeting, "I can't speak for Quinn, but I don't hate her, I never have." She finished looking at directly at Kurt.
Another surprised look adorned the boy's features, "I must admit, I'm surprised after how she's treated you."
Rachel took a quick glance outside, to see if her Daddy was out there yet, he wasn't so she looked at Kurt once again. "I'm very aware of how she's treated me, but that doesn't mean I can't be the better person and try my best to show her that I can look past that and still want her feel better. That I can let her know despite how she's treated me that, I'll be there for her if she needs it."
Kurt nodded slowly, he could understand what she was saying, but he still could never see himself singing to his biggest bully, Karofsky. Because of that he couldn't shake the feeling that she was withholding something, "That's all it is then?"
The brunette crossed her arms over her chest in irritation, "Yes, Kurt that is all there is. I'm sorry if you are dissatisfied with my reasoning or is it that I would sing for someone else's benefit?"
"No, just that was for Quinn." Kurt said, reiterating his point from earlier.
Rachel sighed audibly and turned away from the boy, "Goodbye Kurt." She said and quickly started to make her exit, when Kurt spoke again.
"Okay. Okay, no need for a storm out." The teen said as he walked up to the door as well.
The brunette stopped again and turned around, "Can I help you with something? Because I really should be heading outside, Daddy will be arriving shortly and I don't want to keep him waiting."
"Yes, actually. I wanted to ask you about Finn."
Rachel looked at him suspiciously, "What about Finn?"
Kurt leaned against the door as he spoke, "Well, I noticed the two of you seem to have gotten closer..."
Rachel again found herself sighing, "Kurt, I've told you before. I don't have any desire to pursue Finn romantically."
He pushed himself off the door and stood up fully, "Be that as it may, aren't you a little concerned about Quinn? She's gone after you for less hasn't she?"
Rachel looked outside and smiled brightly as her Daddy pulled up. She turned back to the boy beside her, "I appreciate your concern, but there's no need for it. Quinn has nothing to worry about from me, I can promise that." She said and saw her Daddy waving to her, "I need to get going though Kurt. I'll see you tomorrow." She said and opened the door to leave.
"From one diva to another, don't let yourself get hurt." He said before she could fully walk out of the building.
She took a step outside, but held the door for a moment longer as she said, "I'll be fine, as the great Miss Barbara sang, 'Nobody is gonna rain on my parade'" She smiled once more at Kurt and hurried out into the parking lot.
As they left the auditorium, Finn took Quinn's hand while they walked back to the choir room to collect their belongings. She frowned when she didn't see Rachel there either, 'Why did she bail?' She questioned herself again as she released Finn's hand and went up the risers to grab her backpack.
"I liked that song." Brittany said suddenly, drawing Quinn's attention.
She smiled at her simple comment, "Yeah, so did I, Britt."
"I gotta admit the Dwarf made a pretty good song choice." Santana added.
Quinn turned to the Latina sharply, "Santana…"
"Fine, Berry." She mumbled disgruntledly, before adding, "I'm not gonna call her by her first name…that would be just…weird."
Quinn nodded, it was best she would do that was fine. 'It's not like I've even addressed her by her first name either.' She thought and saw Finn goofing around with Puck. She rolled her eyes, 'Are all boys such children?' She questioned and looked back at her two friends, "Be right back." Quinn walked up to Finn as he talked with Puck, but she ignored him, "I have to go to practice."
The larger boy turned around and smiled, "Ok." He said and leaned down giving the blonde a kiss on her cheek, "I'll see you after?"
She paused for a moment, "Yeah, sure." She finally said with a slight nod before turning around to join the other two Cheerios waiting for her by the door. As soon as she reached them they left the choir room and headed for the Cheerios' locker room.
Quinn trailed slightly behind Santana and Brittany and watched at their arms swung together, hand linked at their pinkies. A smile tugged at her lips, the contact that was so simple, but it bore a significance that no one aside from the three of them really understood. All too soon they reached their destination and the three girls entered the locker room, almost instantly the girls who were already inside stopped talking, They knew better than to say something that would get them on the wrong side of the unholy trinity. Quinn smiled as she thought, 'Maybe my concerns were unwarranted.'
"What do you think you're doing in this locker room?"
Quinn froze for a moment, but quickly collected herself, she knew better than to show any weakness in front of coach Sylvester. She turned with her head high, "I'm here for practice."
"You've definitely got some nerve, in my office now." She said and pointed toward a door across the room. Once Quinn started to make her way in that direction, she looked at the rest of the room, "Well, what all of you standing around for? Get on the field!" She exclaimed and stormed toward her office.
Quinn sat in the chair in front of coach Sylvester's desk. She did feel weird sitting in the room without her uniform on; she didn't have time to change. She took a deep breath, 'Don't show any nerves or she'll eat you alive.' She told herself as she heard the door click open.
Sue entered her office and quickly took a seat behind her desk, "I'm disappointed in you Q. I had once pictured you as a young, less pretty version of myself, but not anymore."
"I want to stay on the squad. I'm the best you have even if I'm pregnant." Quinn argued.
Sue leaned forward in her chair slightly, "You know what the judges are going to think when they see a pregnant cheerleader doing a handspring into a double layout? They're going to wonder if the centrifugal force is going to make the baby's head start crowning. Pregnant and cheerleading don't mix, you're off the squad. Now, get out of my office."
Quinn sat about half way up the bleachers and watched Cheerios practice with a crestfallen expression. She heard Sue already announce Santana's promotion over her megaphone. It didn't surprise her, though the Latina did appear to be. It was the most logical choice and if she wasn't Head Cheerleader, she was glad it was Santana. After the initial shock wore off, Santana went about asserting her authority. She knew the girls thought she was ruthless, but she simply demanded perfection from those around her, if she could master a routine in no more than two tries so should everyone else. Knowing the Latina like she did, she knew the girl would be far more ruthless than she ever was.
Her eyes drifted to right to the football practice field. It was amusing that the school's football team was regulated to the much smaller practice field, while the school's cheerleading squad got the big field. She recalled coach saying it was in her contract or something, even if it wasn't though the school knew where their money maker was, and it wasn't the football team. They were lucky to win half their games, where Sue's Cheerios never lost. Coach Sylvester might be crazy, but she got the job done. She rarely got on her bad side, but again that stupid drunken night had taken another thing away from her. Her popularity, her home, and now cheerleading had been taken from her. 'What's next?' Her eyes landed on Finn as he threw a pass.
Finn…he was the last remnant of the life she had constructed for herself. Everything was perfect, as it should be, the head cheerleader and the starting quarterback of the football team. They were the power couple of McKinley, but everything she worked so hard on had come apart so fast. She didn't have anything left to cling on to expect Finn, 'I'll be damned if I lose him too.' She thought when her eyes found Puck running down the field with the ball in his hands. She closed her eyes and looked away from the football team.
Her hands tightly gripped the metal bleachers on either side of her, until her knuckles turned white. 'If I had been in the right state of mind, I never would have let him touch me, let alone have sex…' She thought and covered her mouth as a wave of nausea struck her. She got up quickly and rushed down the bleachers. She scanned the area in search of the closest bathroom, she silently cursed her fate. There was no way she would reach a bathroom in time, so she quickly looked for alternatives. A trash can or behind the bleachers? Making a quick decision she turned back to the bleachers and stepped a little underneath them promptly threw up. She held on to one of the metal supports tightly, until she was finished.
Quinn pushed herself away from the support and walked a short distance to another metal support and leaned heavily against it. She closed her eyes and took slow deep breaths, 'I really hope I don't have to deal with this much longer…'
"You okay babe, losing your lunch can't be good for the baby."
Quinn's eyes shot opened at the voice addressing her, "It's called morning sickness, Puck."
"I thought that only happened in the mornings?" Puck asked naively.
Quinn rolled her eyes, "It's whenever it comes. I'm usually fine in the mornings, it's the afternoon and evenings that I feel sick."
Puck looked down and kicked some dirt, "Oh, sorry about that."
Again Quinn found herself rolling her eyes, "What are you doing here anyway? Shouldn't you be at practice?"
"Practice just ended actually. I saw you running off the bleachers, so I thought it I make sure you were okay." Puck explained and took a stepped closer to the blonde haired girl. He reached out to take her hand, but Quinn quickly moved out of his reach.
"Don't touch me, Puckerman." She said quickly and moved further away from him.
"Aww, come on my baby mama…"
"Don't you dare call me that!" Quinn warned angrily. Puck held his hands up defensively and was about to say something when someone else joined the conversation.
"Hey Quinn, you got dressed fast." Finn said as he walked up to the pair, completely oblivious to the tension between the other two teens.
"I never changed; coach Sylvester kicked me off the squad." Quinn explained and looked back at the Cheerios still practicing.
Finn looked over to where she was and sure enough cheerleading practice was still going, with Quinn here. "That sucks, I don't know what I'd do if coach kicked me off the team." He said and stepped over to his girlfriend and gave her a hug.
Quinn had to bite her tongue as she allowed him to wrap his arms around her. 'I swear the only way he can relate to anything is if he can relate it to himself somehow.' She thought and hugged him back. She briefly saw Puck watching her before Finn eclipsed the other boy, 'I'm going to have to lay some ground rules for him. He may have fathered this baby, but he is no father.'
Finn pulled back, "So you wanna hang out tonight? My mom wanted talk…"
"I'm sorry, I already have plans with Brittany and Santana." Quinn said quickly, cutting off what the teen was going to say.
"Oh…well, have fun." He said and grabbed his helmet, "See you tomorrow then?"
"Yeah, see you tomorrow." She said with a small smile.
Finn nodded and started walking into the school, but realized Puck wasn't with him, "You coming man?"
Puck looked at Quinn for a moment before turning to the quarterback, "Yeah, I'm right behind you."
Quinn watched them until they entered the school, when she turned around and went back the bleachers. She chose a lower position to sit this time, only a couple rows up. She silently watched the rest of cheerleading practice, it wasn't anything different then when she last practiced, they were still working on mastering their routine for Sectionals. That was something that was very different than Glee and Cheerios, coach Sylvester already had their routines planned for Sectionals, Regionals, State, and Nationals. Coach Sylvester knew they would make it to Nationals and everything was just a stepping stone to get there, that was something Mr. Schue could learn from coach Sylvester, though there were plenty of other things she'd rather he didn't learn from her. 'I really don't think most of glee club could handle a practice like Cheerios practice.'
"Sulking in the bleachers, it's unbecoming, Preggo."
Quinn glared at the owner of the voice, "Oh, it's just you Ashley. I'm surprised you can still form a coherent sentence after how many times you fell out there. How many was it, five or six times, I stopped counting?"
Ashley seethed, "You need to learn your place, Fabray."
Quinn laughed at the other blonde, "And you think you're the one that's going to do that? You're just still pissed that I was named head cheerleader freshman year over you when you were a sophomore. And you know what, after I have my baby and become head cheerleader again, because you know I will, you can kiss Cheerios good-bye. So enjoy your last year on the squad." She said and looked back at the emptying field.
"You little bitch…" Ashley mumbled and started to head up the bleachers.
"What the Hell do you think you're doing?"
Quinn looked to see Santana and Brittany standing on the edge of the field. The Latina glared at Ashley, who seemed to have lost her voice, "Get your ass off those bleachers and run five more laps around the field." She didn't say another as she stepped down on to the ground and ran back to the field. Santana watched to make sure Ashley was actually running, before turning to the girl beside her, "I'll be in the locker room in a second, B. I gotta talk to Q about something."
Brittany nodded and looked up at the other blonde, "See you later, Quinn"
"See you later, B." The former cheerleader said a smile and stood up. She made her way down the bleachers and stood next to Santana, "Can I crash at your place again tonight?"
Santana looked at her for a moment, but then continued to eye the blonde running around the football field, "I'm surprised you didn't go home with Finn."
Biting her lower lip lightly, she looked down, "I'm not ready to tell him about being kicked out yet."
"Brit's coming by tonight, so you are going to have to sleep in the guest room, unless you want to watch us…"
The blonde rolled her eyes at her suggestion, "No thanks. I don't need to see the two of you have sex. I've seen you make out and that's more than enough of an eyeful thank you very much." She knew from past experiences with the two cheerleaders, that they had absolutely no problem hooking up with her in the same room, no matter how uncomfortable it made her. They loved each other, even if they weren't exclusive, so she could understand their desire to constantly be all over each other, 'If I had someone like that, I'd probably be the same way.' She acknowledged.
Santana shrugged and said, "We'll straighten up the guest room when we get there then." Before focusing on the running blonde again.
Quinn nodded, "Thanks for doing this again San."
"Yeah, yeah. What have I told you about getting mushy?" The Latina asked and started to walk toward the football field.
"Right, sorry. I forgot you don't want to lose your reputation of being a bitch." Quinn said with a smile and shook her head.
"Damn straight and don't you forget it." She said and continued walking, "I'll meet you at my house, okay?" She said and paused to look over her shoulder.
The blonde teen nodded, "Yeah, I'll see you there." She said and took a couple steps toward the parking lot, only to pause and yell, "Don't kill her Santana, she isn't worth it!"
The Latina stopped and turned back, "I'm not gonna kill her, I'm just gonna make her life a living Hell." She said with a smile and broke into a run.
Quinn was blushing deeply as covered her head with her pillow, 'What are they rabbits?' She thought as she tried to drown out the sounds from the next room. 'Why did this room have to be right on top of Santana's?' She questioned and huffed in annoyance as the pillow did little to drown out the moans coming from the next room. She got up and went over to her duffle bag and searched around inside until she triumphantly pulled out her iPod. She frowned when her headphones weren't attached, so she dove back inside and felt around until she grabbed a wire and successfully pulled out her headphones. She quickly put the buds in her ears and selected at random song.
A smile formed on her lips, as her iPod did a much better job of obscuring the noises her two friends were making. She went back over the bed and sat down, finally taking a moment to pay attention to what she was listening to.
What's wrong, what's wrong now?
Too many, too many problem.
Don't know where she belongs, where she belongs
She wants to go home, but nobody's home.
It's where she lies, broken inside
With no place to go, no place to go to dry her eyes
Broken inside.
She shakes her head, 'Seriously, I randomly select 'Nobody's Home'?' She thought when another one of Avril Lavigne's songs invaded her thoughts. A small smile formed on her lips as she thought back to glee, well really preforming 'Keep Holding On'. She gave a quick look to see if she had the song, sighing when she came up empty. Going hand and hand with remembering their performance earlier, her mind went to Rachel. The pint sized diva sang that to her and she still didn't understand why. Not only that, she was still a little upset that she left glee so quickly. That left her with two options, confront the girl or forget about it and ignore her. 'I don't really want to forget about it though…I want to know why she sang that and how she knew what I needed her hear, better than anyone else.'
She was about to skip songs when she covered her mouth and jumped up from the bed, 'God, not again…' She thought and pulled her headphones out of her ears as she hurried into the bathroom a short distance away. She shut the door before finding herself in a familiar spot, leaning over a toilet, throwing up. It felt like forever before she finished, but she didn't feel any better.
"It's hard to get my mack on with you yacking in here…"
Quinn rolled her eyes, and was going to say something when she retched again. She held onto the toilet tightly as dry heaved painfully. Once she was done, she took a seat on the floor and leaned her head against the tank of the toilet. Her hand shook as she reached for some toilet paper to wipe her mouth. After wiping her mouth she threw the paper in the toilet and closed her eyes.
There was a soft knock on the door, followed by Santana's voice again, "You doing okay in there, Quinn?"
Quinn just sat on the tiled floor and hugged her stomach, silently hoping she wouldn't attempt to throw up again, because she was pretty sure she didn't have anything left her stomach after that and as much as it sucked throwing up, dry heaving was excruciating.
"I'm going to come in." Santana said and before the blonde could offer up a protest, the door was opened.
Quinn looked up at the Latina weakly, "I'm sorry. I'm sorry, you have to see me like th-this" She said and looked down she felt her tears start to flow.
Santana sighed quietly and knelt down next her. She brushed some hair that had fallen into Quinn's face behind her ear, "Are you still going to be sick?" She asked gently.
Quinn shook her head slightly, "I-I don't know…" She said honestly.
The brunette nodded her head and flushed the toilet before taking a seat on the floor beside the other girl. She wrapped an arm around Quinn's shoulders, pulling her against herself, so she wouldn't be leaning on the toilet anymore. She frowned when she felt the blonde was shaking. "Britt, can you get Quinn a bottle of water?" Santana asked the other blonde, knowing she didn't do well around someone being sick.
Brittany, who stood in the doorway, nodded, "I'll be right back San."
Santana rubbed Quinn's arm as she spoke, "You cold?" She could see the other girl shake her head in response. Santana nodded and remained silent until Brittany appeared again with a bottle of water, "Thanks baby." She said and smiled at her as she took the bottle. She opened it and handed it over to the blonde on the floor with her. Quinn took the bottle and slowly brought it to her lips. After taking a healthy drink she lowered her arm and placed the bottle gently onto the floor. Santana waited a couple seconds before asking, "Do you still think you may be sick?"
Quinn looked at the toilet for moment before shaking her head, "No."
With a nod Santana got up and offered her hands to the other girl, "Come on, let's get off this cold floor." She said and waited for the sick girl to take her hands. After a few seconds, Quinn looked over to her and took her hands and Santana pulled her to her feet. The blonde wobbled momentarily, but Santana didn't let her go until she was steady. The Latina watched her for a few seconds before asking, "You okay?"
Quinn nodded, "Yeah, thanks." She began to leave the bathroom, when she saw Brittany standing by the door frame, "I'm sorry to have interrupted you guys, Britt." She muttered apologetically, as she walked past the other girl.
Brittany smiled at her, "It's okay, Lord Tubbington got sick over the summer too, when he tried to stop smoking."
Quinn stared at the other blonde for moment before a small smile spread across her lips, "Thanks Britt." She started walking again as she said, "I'm going to go lay down." Without another word she continued down the hall, until she reached to room she was in previously, right next to Santana's.
When she entered the room, she immediately went to the bed and laid down. She curled up and brought her knees to her chest, 'I'm so pathetic, I can't even take care of myself.' She thought and buried her face in her pillow. The tears that were threatening to spill from the time she entered the bedroom, finally spilled over.
There was a knock on her door causing her to jump slightly. She wasn't entirely sure how much time had passed, but if the now dry pillow was any indication, she must have fallen asleep. After a few moments, she sat up and slowly made her way over to the door. Taking a deep breath she opened the door after looking around for a moment she asked, "Where's Brittany?"
Santana walked into the room and sat on the bed, "She went home, we kinda weren't in the mood anymore, ya know?"
Quinn looked down and bit her lower lip lightly, she could hear the disappointment in the other girl's voice, "I'm really sorry, San." She said and joined her on the bed.
Santana shrugged, "Whatever, we got a little sexy time in."
Quinn nodded, "I feel like shit if that helps."
"It doesn't. I don't want you to feel like shit." She said and paused before adding, "Brits wanted me to tell you that she hopes you feel better.
Quinn smiled, "That was sweet of her."
They sat in silence for a while, when Santana finally spoke, "Have you even decided what you are going to? About the baby, I mean."
"I've thought about it." Quinn said simply.
"And?" Santana prompted.
Quinn looked down and studied her hands as she nervously played with the fabric of her dress, "A part of me wants to keep her, but another part of me, the more logical part, is saying that I should give her up for adoption."
The Latina nodded, she was still clearly thinking about what she was going to do and it really wasn't her place to say anything one way or another. "What about doctor appointments?" She asked, it was a question that had been on her mind since she watched the girl look so pitifully sick in the bathroom.
Quinn wasn't as hesitant to answer that question, "I need to go back, but they are so expensive though and I don't have the money…"
"What about Finn? What the Hell is he doing to take care of you and the baby?" Santana asked, quickly cutting the other girl off. Again, Quinn couldn't maintain eye contact with her friend, but that only brought on another question, "What aren't you saying, Quinn?" Quinn closed her eyes tightly when she felt them fill with tears, but that only allowed them to escape her eyes. She hunched forward and held her face in her hands. She jumped slightly when she felt a hand on her back, "You can tell me whatever it is."
Swallowing a lump that had stubbornly formed in her throat, "F-Finn isn't….he isn't the f-father."
"What? Well who is then?" The Latina asked quickly. She was surprised and a little relieved to learn that Finn hadn't procreated yet.
Quinn was silent for a time, but her tears had slowed so she was no longer leaning over. "Puck." She said, still not looking at the other girl.
"Are you sure?"
Quinn nodded, "Yes, Finn and I have never had sex."
Santana looked at the blonde curiously, "Wait…so how the Hell does he still think he's the father?"
Finally looking at the brunette, she explained, "I told him that I got pregnant when we hung out in my parent's hot tub one night and he prematurely ejaculated."
Santana had to hold back her laughter at not only the stupidity of the boy, but also how pathetic he was. 'I'll bet he got a boner as soon as he saw Quinn in a bikini.' She thought and quickly shook her head of the image of Finn with a hard on, 'Not something I want to think about.' She turned her attention back to the girl beside her and put an arm around her shoulders, "You have gotta take care of yourself though." Santana said and paused for moment, "My dad isn't due back until Monday, but I'll call him tomorrow and see if he knows someone that can help."
Quinn nodded slowly, she didn't want to admit that she needed help, but Santana was right, she did need to have a doctor she could see regularly. She didn't want to jeopardize her baby's health because of her stupid pride, 'I'll just have to make it up to her some time.' "Thanks, I'm sorry for being such a burden."
"Don't start with that again. I told you, I got your back." Santana whispered.
Quinn nodded again, "Thanks." She mumbled quietly.
Quinn parked her car in the student lot; she arrived a little earlier than she normally would. Finn had texted her that morning, asking if she needed a ride. She nearly said yes, when she realized he would go to her house, well former house, since she hadn't told him that she was at Santana's. So, she quickly told him that she already had a ride. Sighing she stepped out of her car and started to make her way into the school. She was glad tomorrow was Saturday, so she didn't have worry about school.
Once Quinn stepped in to the school her debate from the previous night as to whether she should simply avoid Rachel as she generally did or confront her about glee yesterday resurfaced in her mind. Avoiding her would work until glee, even the one class they shared, AP chemistry it would be easy to avoid her if she really wanted to because you mostly just worked with you lap partner. Then again avoiding her, would still leave her with her questions and she didn't like that option.
She was so caught up in her internal debate that she didn't realize she was just a few steps away from Rachel's locker causing her to sigh, 'I guess my feet, decided for me.' She thought when she saw a familiar scene playing out in front of her. She could see Karofsky walking down the hall with a large plastic cup in his hand. She looked back at Rachel, who was completely none the wiser. 'Why isn't she more aware of her surroundings?' She asked herself as she quickened her pace. She wasn't entirely aware of what she was going to do, but she wanted to do something. It was a bit strange if she actually would have thought about it, seeing as she had watched with a smile on many occasions that the tiny diva had been slushied.
"Hey! Man Hands!"
Quinn flinched momentarily at what Karofsky said, that was one of the many names she'd called her in the past, but also the fact that he was close enough to call to her, meant she didn't have enough time to warn her either. She was just about a step away and Rachel still didn't even see her, as she now faced Karofsky, and the way she saw it there were really only two options, push Rachel out of the way or…
Quinn took a step forward and faced the large football player as he reared the cup back and threw its contents forward. As soon as the cold liquid hit her face one thought entered her mind, 'What the Hell am I doing?' Quinn heard a gasp behind her, or did she gasp, she really didn't know at the moment. All she knew was that she was freezing and she wanted to get the Hell out of the hallway and into a bathroom. She wiped her eyes clean with her hand and dashed to the nearest bathroom. Thankfully there was one fairly close by and even better, it was empty. She quickly went over to the nearest sink and turned the water on, when she heard the door open.
"Quinn, why did you…?"
She looked over to see Rachel standing in the bathroom, but the petite girl didn't even get to finish her question because the door suddenly slammed open, followed immediately by an angry Latina yelling, "What the Hell are you thinking Q, taking a slushy for the Hobbit!?"
Rachel put her hands on her hips a looked at the Latina, "I do have a name Santana and I would appreciate it if…"
Santana quickly turned her attention to the shorter brunette causing her back away, "Why the Hell are you talking to me? Don't think I won't go all Lima Heights Adjacent on you in this bathroom for getting Q involved in your slushy facials."
Quinn stepped closer to the angry brunette as she said, "Leave her alone, San. It's not like she ducked behind me or anything." Santana's eyes again focused on the blonde, but Quinn didn't back down under her death stare, "I just reacted, okay."
Rachel stared at the girl covered in blue slushy; she didn't know how to take that. 'Why would Quinn react to protect me from a slushy attack?' It was confusing. Though she could appreciate the gesture, she would rather have taken the slushy than to see Quinn covered in the sticky liquid.
"Reacted!? Are you serious?!" Santana shouted, almost challenging the other girl to give her a better reason than that, but Quinn simply shook her head and looked at the titled floor. "Ya know what, screw it! I'm done with this!" Santana yelled and stormed out of the bathroom mumbling, "Taking a damn slushy for the damn midget…"
Quinn stared at the door for a few moments when she felt a hand on her shoulder, causing her to look to the side and see Brittany smiling at her, she hadn't even realized the blonde Cheerio was in the bathroom as well. "She's just afraid that she won't be able to protect you now."
Quinn nodded, "I know."
"I'll calm her down." Brittany said and let go of her shoulder. She started to walk to the door, when she turned back to the other blonde, "That was really sweet of you to protect Rachel."
Brittany's last words caused Quinn again to look at the floor. She could almost feel a pair of big brown on eyes staring at her. She was tempted to bolt from the room, but she felt so disgusting and she didn't have the Cheerios' locker room to run to this time, so she just stood there covered in sticky blue raspberry slushy.
"You really didn't have to do that. It's not like I haven't been slushied before." Rachel finally said behind her, breaking the silence.
Quinn tensed at the girl's words. She didn't say them with any spite in her voice, but it still stung. She had directed many of those attacks on the brunette. She had every right to hate her, she deserved it, but for some reason Rachel chose to be nice to her, sing to her for that matter, but she really didn't deserve any of that. Maybe now wasn't the best time, standing in the bathroom with blue slushy dripping from her hair, but she wanted to know and the words came out before she could think on them further, "Why? Why did you want to sing that in glee yesterday?" She asked and turned around to face the other girl.
Rachel stared at her, looking a little surprised by the question, judging by her widened eyes. The petite girl stepped over the sinks and remoistened the towels in her hand before she looked back to Quinn, "Because…you were upset and I wanted to cheer you up." She said and looked down at her hands, playing with the paper towels in her hands.
Quinn silently watched her nervously fidget with the paper in she held. 'Is she afraid of my reaction? I could easily tear her down…but is that what I want?' She thought, when she recalled her thoughts as she lay in the bed yesterday, "I would have tortured you if our roles were reversed."
"I know." Rachel said with a sad smile and offered Quinn the towels she'd been holding.
Quinn stared at her intently, 'Even knowing that, she's still here…'
After a few moments of standing with her hand extended, the blonde made no attempt to take the towels. Rachel cautiously looked up and met a pair of hazel eyes looking back at her, analyzing her if she were pressed for a word to describe the way Quinn was staring at her. Rachel felt exposed under her eyes, causing her to unconsciously retract her hand, but she still couldn't look away. This was the closest she'd been to the Quinn and was certainly the longest she'd looked into her eyes. She knew her eyes were hazel, but the longer she looked at them, she could see they held touches of green and that only made them more mesmerizing to look at as far as Rachel was concerned.
"Will you help me?" Quinn asked suddenly.
Rachel blinked a few times to break herself out of her musings. "W-What?" She stammered out, not entirely sure she heard the other girl correctly.
Quinn looked away from her momentarily, glancing in the mirror across from her before looking back at her, "I said, will help me? You offered once before and I was, to put in kindly, a bitch, so if you don't want…"
"N-No, of course I'll help." Rachel said quickly and stepped forward, raising her hand with the wet towels. "Can I?"
Quinn nodded and watched the petite diva clean her face of any of the blue liquid. The moment she asked for Rachel's help, she knew what it meant, or at least she had an idea, but watching her meticulously clean off the sticky syrup, she knew things couldn't go back to how they used to be between them. She shook her head slightly, which drew Rachel's attention.
"What is it?" The brunette asked cautiously and took a step back.
Shaking her head again, "It's nothing, I'm just thinking." Rachel nodded and cleaned off the last little bit of blue remaining on her face, by her ear. 'No, it was before that.' She confirmed to herself. Santana was probably going to give her Hell for this but…. "Are you free during lunch today?"
End ch. 3
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The little snippet of a song was as stated in the story, "Nobody's Home" by Avril Lavigne and I claim no rights to the song. I promise I don't have a thing for her; it was just an easy way lead in to Quinn's thoughts that followed. I tried writing a longer Sue and Quinn scene, but I hated it, which is why it's so short. And I knew I wouldn't have any time to write over the next couple days and that was the only scene holding me up at this point, so I'd rather cut it down than delay this any further. The beginning of the next chapter will likely be Rachel's POV of the last scene, or at least part of it.
Umm, I don't really have much else to say, aside from thanks for reading this and leave some comments if you have the time. :)