Hey guys, so sorry for the delay! Thank you so much to those of you who stick with the story, and to those who review! It really means a lot. Hopefully the updates will be more frequent now that I have a bit more time on my hands.
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Chapter 4
Quinn looked up from her cereal as her mother hurriedly entered the kitchen.
"You're up early, sweetie," she said absently as she poured some of the coffee Quinn had made into a stainless steel thermos.
"I'm going back to school today, remember?" Quinn said, trying not to sound annoyed. She had informed her mother of this a handful of times over the past few days.
"Oh, that's right," Judy said apologetically. "I'd sit down and eat with you but i'm running so late and-"
"Don't worry about it, mom," Quinn interjected. "Just get to work." She looked up at her mother and smiled. The past few days had been difficult for Quinn, having to adjust to this old but new living arrangement. But that particular morning she was in a pretty decent mood, and she wasn't about to let anything dampen her spirits. Quinn was anxious to get back to school to see her friends, but most of all to get out of the house and away from her well-meaning yet always overbearing mother.
"Before I forget," Judy said suddenly, interrupting Quinn's thoughts. "I need you to pick up your sister from the airport tomorrow." Quinn nearly choked on her cereal.
"Jane?" she said dumbly.
"Do you have another sister?" Judy questioned, cocking an eyebrow at her daughter.
"No," Quinn said plainly, not allowing herself to roll her eyes at the stupidity of this question. "It's just that, she hasn't been home in years." A look of bewilderment crossed her face. "Why now?"
"She just wants to visit," Judy said with a shrug. Quinn's face turned to a frown. She knew there had to be something more to this. There always was with Jane. Her sister had unfailingly been quite perfect in the eyes of their parents, and Quinn always seemed to fall short. Jane was now living her perfect life with her perfect husband in Colorado, while Quinn, stuck in Lima, had just become a teenage mom. It wouldn't surprise Quinn one bit if Jane's sole purpose for returning home was to shove that reality in her face.
"So, you'll pick her up?" Judy asked. "Her flight gets in at four, and I finally got a hair appointment scheduled for tomorrow with Theresa at that salon in Dayton I really like..." Annoyed, Quinn tuned out the rest of her mother's lame excuse, absently casting a thought to how ridiculous it was for her to drive over an hour just to get her hair done. "Quinn?"
"Yeah mom, i'll pick her up," Quinn conceded, returning from her thoughts.
"Great!" Judy said with a bright smile.
"I'll get Puck to go with me," Quinn added, smiling innocently. She saw her mother's smile falter slightly.
"Great," she repeated, much less enthusiastically.
Quinn barely noticed her mother leave through the back door a few moments later and call out, "Have a good day at school, Quinnie!" She was too busy fuming over the "coincidence" that her sister had chosen this particular moment in time to come for a visit, as well as the fact that she would have to drive 30 minutes each way to pick her up and miss part of Glee rehearsal. Sighing heavily, Quinn gathered her school books and car keys and prepared to head out the door. So much for her good mood.
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Quinn forced herself to put on a happy face as she entered McKinley high that morning, pushing aside thoughts of her sister's untimely return. She made her way down the familiar hallway toward her locker. A few curious glances were cast in her direction, but for the most part, no one seemed to really notice her. Just as she started to wonder if anyone had actually missed her, Quinn heard a familiar voice call out from down the hall. She turned her head to see a Latina in a Cheerios uniform coming towards her, all smiles.
"Looking pretty good there tubbers," Santana joked as she neared Quinn.
"Nice to see you too, Santana," Quinn said with a chuckle.
"Come here." Santana enveloped her friend in a tight hug. "Are you doing okay?" She asked seriously as she pulled away. Quinn nodded.
"I'm okay," she said with a sad smile. Her smile brightened as she felt two arms wrap around her from behind and squeeze her tightly.
"Hi Britt," Quinn said knowingly. Wherever Santana was, Brittany could never be far.
"How did you know it was me?" Brittany asked, shocked. She let go of Quinn and automatically gravitated to Santana's side.
"Lucky guess," Quinn said with a shrug, humoring the girl.
"Glad you're back," Brittany said with a grin. "We've missed you in Glee. Did you hear about the surprise for Mr. Shue?" Quinn nodded.
"Rachel told me about it." Santana raised an eyebrow.
"Since when do you have conversations with Berry? I mean, other than the ones where you're telling her she sucks."
"Rachel's...not so bad," Quinn said slowly, remembering the kind words the tiny brunette had offered her a few days before. That wasn't the only time she had received kindness from the girl, Quinn thought. And most of the time she didn't deserve it...
"You're going soft, Q," Santana said in mock disapproval. "And you can't even blame this lunacy on your baby hormones this time." She smirked at Quinn, who just shrugged and laughed along. Deep down, she couldn't help but wonder exactly why it was that she and her friends had always been so mean to Rachel. Why she had always made it her personal mission to make Rachel's life suck. Well, she knew why... She had her reasons, but that didn't make it right.
Quinn noticed Santana's gaze focus on something over her shoulder, so she turned her head to see.
"And this is where we leave you," she heard Santana say as she spotted Puck coming towards them.
"Aw, look at his face," Brittany cooed.
"He's got it bad for you, Q," Santana added. "So freaking charming." Quinn smiled as her eyes met Puck's. "Damn, I wish someone would look at me like that," Santana said with a pout. She didn't notice the hurt in Brittany's eyes...eyes that couldn't stop staring at her this entire conversation. "We'll see you at lunch, Q," Santana said, touching Quinn's arm and then turning to leave, a slightly somber Brittany in tow.
"Hey baby," Puck said as he reached Quinn. She felt a twinge of pain in her chest at the use of that particular pet name. She held back a wince, hoping he didn't notice. "It's really good you're back, Glee club is boring as hell without you." He paused, and then added, "Plus, I just miss you." He couldn't keep a silly grin from spreading across his face.
"Miss you too," Quinn said, gazing into those warm, brown eyes. "It's good to be back."
"Walk you to class?" Puck asked. Quinn nodded and smiled, linking her arm around his as they headed down the hallway.
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"I really appreciate your concern," Quinn said politely. "But I don't need therapy." She sat nervously in Ms. Pillsbury's office that day after school.
"Don't think of it that way," the ginger quickly corrected. "I'm just someone who cares a lot about you, Quinn, and i've asked you here today to... give you some tips."
"Tips for what?" Quinn asked, cocking an eyebrow.
"Well, for coping with...your situation," Ms. Pillsbury said gently.
"I'm okay, really." Quinn hoped she sounded more convincing than she felt. If she was being honest, she wasn't really sure if she was okay. But she certainly didn't want Ms. Pillsbury, or anyone for that matter, to know that. She studied the woman's face, searching for traces of disbelief.
"That's great," Ms. Pillsbury said with a smile. "But I think there are some things you should be aware of." She paused, and then with no further objection from Quinn, she continued. "You've probably heard of something called Postpartum Depression." Quinn felt her breath catch in her throat. She nodded slowly. "I don't want to scare you," she continued. "But PPD is a very real thing, and it tends to be more common in teenage pregnancy, as well as cases of adoption..." Quinn shifted uncomfortably in her seat.
"I-I'm not depressed," Quinn said, looking to the floor. Ms. Pillsbury looked at the girl with sympathetic eyes.
"Quinn, you've been through a lot this year," Ms. Pillsbury said gently. "It's okay to not always be...okay." Quinn looked up at the guidance counselor with watery eyes, and was met with a sympathetic smile. But she needed to be okay, she thought, taking a deep breath. And how was she supposed to get over this if people kept bringing it up?
"I'm sorry Ms. Pillsbury," Quinn said suddenly. "I-I have to go, I'm late for Glee rehearsal." She stood from her chair.
"Okay," Ms. Pillsbury said with a nod, not wanting to push the girl. "But will you take this?" She held a pamphlet out to the girl. Hesitantly Quinn took the little booklet, which said Postpartum Depression in big black letters and had a picture of a young mother with her newborn baby. She swallowed the lump in her throat. "It lists some of the most common symptoms. Just some good information to have."
"Thanks," Quinn said quietly. As she turned to leave, Ms. Pillsbury stopped her.
"Quinn?" She turned back to face the counselor. "You don't have to go through this alone." Quinn felt a tear escape down her cheek. "You have friends that care a lot about you. Let them be there for you. And I'm always here if you ever want to talk." She smiled warmly at Quinn, though her heart was breaking for the girl. Quinn nodded, offering her a grateful smile, and then turned to leave.
