Chapter 4: Aftermath
Rachel
Mr. Schue glanced at his watch then back at the Glee Club. "Okay, I think that's enough for today. Keep in mind that we still need four members to compete this year, so try to think of some way to bring in more interest. I'll see you all tomorrow." The various members of Glee Club gathered their things and started filing out of the room. Rachel quickly gathered her own books and tried to hurry after Quinn, Finn, and Scott, but Mr. Schue stopped her. "Rachel, I need to talk to you for a minute before you leave." Rachel smiled slightly at him.
"Of course, Mr. Schue." Rachel walked over to the piano where Mr. Schue was gathering his own supplies together. He had to go home and change before returning to the school at 5 for his janitor shift. "What would you like to talk about? Because I've got so many great ideas for numbers, and I think-"
"Let me stop you there, Rachel. This isn't about numbers for Sectionals. I just wanted to let you know that Quinn's going to be replacing you in our performance of Don't Stop Believin'." Rachel looked down at her shoes, feeling like she'd just been punched in the gut. How could he just give away her solo?
"You're giving Quinn Fabray the solo?" Rachel looked up at Mr. Schue, hoping he was playing one of the worst jokes ever. "That's my solo." Mr. Schue sighed.
"You made this happen, Rachel. You were the one who wanted to sell sex at the assembly. Quinn's audition song was on Figgins' approved list, and frankly, she did a heck of a job singing it."
"You're punishing me?" Mr. Schue looked up from the papers he was sorting through and looked Rachel in the eyes.
"Contrary to your beliefs, it's not all about you." Rachel turned away, unable to look her instructor in the eyes any longer without tearing up. "Or, I've realized, about me. Look, I screwed up too. I'm as responsible for what you did at that assembly as you are." Rachel looked back at Mr. Schue. "I should never have pushed disco so hard. When we did it back in '93, the disco revival was in its heyday. It was cool. We had fun. And that, that is what Glee is supposed to be about. If we're going to succeed, we both need to change our mindsets. Like Scott said, you're not always going to be the star. But I promise to do my best to make sure you're always having fun." Rachel looked away again. "This is a good thing, Rachel. We're on our way." Mr. Schue picked up his briefcase and left Rachel alone in the choir room.
Quinn
After splitting up with Finn and Scott to go to their separate practices, Quinn, Santana, and Brittany went straight for Coach Sylvester's office, where they knew she'd be since cheer practice didn't start for another 15 minutes. Quinn knocked on the door and waited for a response.
"Enter." The girls heard from inside the office. Quinn led the way into the office and all three immediately took their seats across from Sue, who hadn't even looked up when they entered. "I trust there's a reason you three are interrupting my 'me time'?"
"We wanted to give you our report." Quinn answered. Sue looked up from her journal.
"Okay, so report."
"We've successfully joined the Glee Club." Santana said. "Right now Mr. Schue is working on recruiting more members. They still need four more to be able to compete."
"What about the members that are there? I know that can't be all rainbows and butterflies. Schuester's too uptight to be able to keep all of them happy."
"Kurt is having an identity crisis." Quinn began. "I have a feeling he might be gay, but he's trying to hide it."
"What makes you think that?"
"He's being a guy." Brittany said. "Like, not the natural kind. He's trying too hard."
"Okay, next."
"Everyone, Mercedes especially, hates the types of music we're performing." Santana said. "We're going really heavy on the disco, and everyone wants to do something more modern. She also has some kind of problem with Berry. The two of them are clashing divas."
"And Berry and Mr. Schuester seem to despise each other." Quinn added. "Berry's a perfectionist control freak who wants every solo and Mr. Schue wants to spread them around."
"Alright, good." Sue said. "That's enough for us to work with for the time being. Try to make those gaps bigger. The more they hate each other the easier it'll be to rip them apart when the time comes. Now, let's get going. We need to start working on perfecting that new routine." Sue stood and led the three cheerleaders from the office.
Scott
Scott walked into the JROTC building just as their commander was calling for accountability formation.
"Nice of you to join us, Murray." The commander said as Scott quickly took his place as squad leader. "A few more seconds and I'd have you on the ground for forty right now."
"On time is on time, sir." Scott responded, ignoring the glare the boy gave him. "Even if it's only by a few seconds."
"Don't make it a habit. I can easily have you replaced. Just because you're a company commander doesn't mean that you have more rights than everyone else."
"Whatever you say, Tyler." Tyler chose to ignore the fact that Scott had basically just committed insubordination by calling him by name, knowing he wouldn't be able to win the verbal brawl that was sure to come after. Scott's former JROTC unit from his time at Hinton High School had taught him well about the loopholes of military discipline and, although he hated to admit it, Tyler also knew Scott was one of the most talented members of the Drill Team. Alienating him wouldn't do them any good come their first competition in two months. An hour later Tyler released the team from practice after several run-throughs of their Armed Exhibition routine. Scott was walking towards the football field to meet with Quinn when one of the other Drill Team members, Mariah, caught up with him.
"You know, you really shouldn't alienate Tyler like that." Mariah said.
"Like he'd do anything, even if he could." Scott responded. "Everything I do is within regulations, other than a few picks here and there. He isn't stupid enough to mess with me."
"Yeah, well, you should still be careful. Talent or not, if you get on his nerves too much he'll come down on you like a truck full of bricks."
"I'd like to see him try. He wouldn't stand a chance with me in a real fight."
"Funny, he said the same thing."
"Yeah, but he's let all the power he's been given from being Battalion Commander go to his head. That's why I hate the program here. A sophomore is almost never mature enough to deal with that kind of power. It's better used in the hands of a senior." Mariah giggled and nodded.
"I agree. He wonders why I won't ever accept a date from him, and you basically just put it into two sentences."
"I feel sorry for any girl unfortunate enough to date him."
"Haha. Me too. So, why were you so late today? You're almost always really early for practice."
"I was auditioning for the Glee Club."
"Glee Club? Why?"
"You know Quinn Fabray, right?"
"Yeah, the head Cheerio. Why?"
"She's my cousin. She joined Glee Club and asked me to join with her so she had some support."
"Quinn Fabray joined Glee Club? Now that's a surprise."
"That exact thing has been running through my head ever since she told me. I think it really has to do with the fact that her boyfriend is in it, and he's getting really close to one of the female members."
"Ah, so she's trying to keep an eye on her 'investment.'"
"My thoughts exactly." The two heard a loud honk come from the parking lot as they passed by and looked in the direction of the noise. A tall man in a white wife beater, dirty blue jeans, and a red baseball cap waved at them.
"There's my step dad. I'd better go. He's got the night shift tonight and he'll kill me if I make him late. See you Monday?" Scott nodded.
"Sure. You can come join us for lunch if you want to. It must get tiring sitting with Tyler every day."
"I'd be glad to accept. I'll see you at lunch Monday." Mariah ran over to her step dad's truck, waving at Scott as she went. Scott waved back and turned to continue his walk to the football field, where Cheerios practice was still going on. As per usual, Coach Sylvester kept the Cheerios much later on Fridays than any other day of the week, so he knew he'd end up waiting for them to finish so he and Quinn could go home. When he reached the bleachers where he'd planned to wait for his cousin, Scott found a familiar brunette seated on the metal seats. Knowing she wasn't a regular audience of Cheerios practice, he decided to talk to her.
"I didn't think watching the Cheerios practice was your normal after school activity." Scott said, taking a seat next to the girl. Rachel Berry, startled out of whatever thoughts she'd been having, turned to look at him.
"Oh! I um…well…" Rachel tried to think of an explanation of her being here, but couldn't think of anything. She hadn't been able to take her mind off of Quinn since the blonde had helped her after Puck and Matt had slushied her earlier that day, and felt an almost magnetic pull to the football field after Glee was over. The next thing she knew, she was seated on the bleachers, watching the girl prance around shouting and leading her fellow Cheerios through multiple routines. "I…wanted to congratulate Quinn, Santana, and Brittany on joining Glee Club. And you too, I guess. So congratulations. You were really good. In your audition, I mean. A little rough around the edges, but I'm sure that will work itself out with some practice, and maybe some vocal coaching. I'd be happy to help you, if you want. I may not look it, but I'm very good at coaching people into realizing the full range of their vocal abilities."
"So the rumors are true."
"W-what?"
"You really do ramble." Rachel blushed and looked away, returning her gaze to the Cheerios.
"Oh, well…"
"Don't worry about it. It's actually kind of cute. In a dorky sort of way."
"Thanks?" Rachel wasn't sure whether that should be taken as a compliment or an insult. Despite having only been a student at McKinley for a little over a month, Scott was already one of the most popular kids in school, thanks in no small part to his relation to Quinn, as well as his membership in the school's state champion Drill Team. And Rachel could count on one hand the number of good experiences she'd had whenever the popular crowd was involved in her life.
"That was a compliment." Scott confirmed.
"Oh, okay. Well, thanks."
"No problem." The two sat in silence, watching the Cheerios finish routine practice, followed by a four lap run, before Sue dismissed them for the afternoon. While the majority of the Cheerios ran straight for the locker room to shower and change, Quinn, Santana, and Brittany walked over to the bleachers where Scott and Rachel were seated.
"Hey, Scott. Berry." Quinn said, placing just the smallest amount of acid in her voice while acknowledging the girl.
"You guys are looking good out there." Scott said. "I foresee another Nationals win coming up this year."
"Yeah, we've all been working pretty hard at it." Santana agreed. "Not that Sylvester would tolerate us sitting on our asses or anything." Everyone except Rachel laughed.
"Yeah, definitely not." Quinn agreed. "We'd better get to the showers. I'll meet you in the parking lot."
"Alright." The cheerleaders walked away, leaving Scott and Rachel alone. "You've got a ride home, I assume?" Rachel didn't answer for a minute, then realized the question had been directed at her.
"Actually, I'd planned on walking home today." Rachel replied. "My dad is working late tonight, and daddy is out of town visiting a sick aunt, so neither of them can come and get me."
"You can ride with us, then."
"What about Quinn?" Rachel was hesitant to get in any sort of enclosed space with the HBIC.
"She'll just have to learn to deal. I look out for my friends, and you are not walking home."
"You actually consider me your friend?" Rachel couldn't believe a word she was hearing. "We've only known each other personally for about two hours." Scott sighed. He understood why Quinn tended to get annoyed at the stubbornness of the girl in front of him. Even his ungodly patience was being stretched to its limits.
"Okay, maybe not a friend. More like a friendly acquaintance."
"Better, but I don't think you should be giving rides to your 'friendly acquaintances.'"
"Rachel, you are riding with us. End of story. Stop arguing."
"But-" Scott shot the brunette a death glare that instantly silenced the girl. Even Rachel knew when she was pushing too far.
"C'mon. Quinn's probably about done with her shower by now. We're meeting her by my car." Scott stood and climbed down the bleachers, then turned toward the parking lot. Rachel silently followed him to his car, where they waited for Quinn to return from the locker room. A few minutes later Quinn joined them by Scott's car. She shot her cousin a questioning glance when she noticed Rachel. "Rachel's dads can't pick her up today, so I'm doing her a favor and taking her home so she doesn't have to walk for half an hour. I trust you two can spend ten minutes in a car together without killing each other?" Quinn looked at Rachel and saw the scared look on her face, like she thought the blonde would blow up on her with a stream of insults at any moment. Quinn couldn't help but feel hurt at the thought that the diva was scared of her, although she knew the mistrust was justified.
"Oh, I'm sure we can manage." Quinn answered, smiling at the brunette. "Would you rather sit in the front or the back?" Rachel appeared genuinely shocked that Quinn was being friendly towards her.
"Oh! Um…either is fine." Rachel said. "I wouldn't want to put you out if you'd prefer to sit in the front. Although, if you prefer sitting in the back, I wouldn't have any issue with taking the front seat. I-"
"Berry!" Quinn shouted, immediately pulling the diva out of her rant. She smiled at the girl, amused at how easily she could ramble. "It's just a car seat. I don't really care either way. Just make your choice."
"O-okay." Rachel hesitantly opened the front passenger door and got in, keeping her sights on Quinn at all times, so she'd have plenty of time to make distance between herself and the cheerleader if she changed her mind. Quinn just smiled again and took the seat behind Scott. Once both girls were fastened into their seats, Scott took off towards the parking lot's exit.
"You're going to have to guide me to your house, Rachel." Scott said. "I'm not completely familiar with the town yet, and I don't know where you live."
"Okay. You're going to want to take a right out of the parking lot. You know where Prime Road is, right?"
"Yeah."
"After you turn on there you'll want to take a right onto Birch Hill Road. My house is the first one on the right after you turn onto the road." Scott nodded and left the parking lot. Ten minutes later the car pulled up into Rachel's driveway.
Quinn POV
"Thank you. Would you like to come inside? I'd be more than happy to repay your kindness by feeding you." Scott looked in the rearview mirror at me. I knew he was asking me if I wanted to, since he himself couldn't stay. It didn't take long for me to make my decision. Stay at Rachel's house, and possibly get to know the girl who was slowly becoming less annoying than the diva I had known for the past 5 years, or go home to my parents' uptight and likely alcohol scented mansion and be either ignored or yelled at by my father all night until Puck's party. Puck's party. Shit, how was I going to get there? I couldn't drive, Scott was busy all night at some leaders' council meeting for the martial arts school he worked for, and Finn wasn't able to go because he and his mom had dinner plans.
"Hold on." I said. "I need to make a call." I got out of the car and pulled my phone out of my pocket, quickly calling Santana. She picked up on the second ring and I could hear the faint sound of laughing in the background. 'She must be over at Brittany's.' I thought.
"Hey, Quinn what's up? You disappeared after Cheerios practice." The Latina said.
"Scott gave me a ride home again today. Would you mind doing me a favor?"
"Depends. What am I doing?"
"Giving me a ride to Puck's party tonight. I just realized I don't have a ride since Scott and Finn can't go."
"Yeah, I can pull that. I'll be by your house to pick you up at about 7." I blushed, glad that Santana couldn't see my face through the phone.
"Well…actually…"
"What?"
"I'm going to be at Treas…Berry's house. Scott gave her a ride home and she offered to let me stay for a while. And I prefer that to being at home."
"Alright, Q. Whatever you say. I just hope Stubbles' loserness isn't contagious. I don't think I could be friends with you if you were a loser like her."
"Santana, 'loserness' isn't a word."
"Don't care, Q. I'll pick you up from RuPaul's at 7. Where's she live?" I turned and looked at the house number on the door, not wanting to give my friend the wrong house.
"241 Birch Hill Road. Two story, white with red shutters."
"Got it. I'll be there." I hung up and returned to the car, where Scott and Rachel were still waiting.
"I wouldn't mind staying a while." I said. Rachel smiled.
"Great! Come on inside and I'll get something to eat together. Scott, would you like to stay?" Scott shook his head.
"I can't. I've got to work tonight. Maybe some other time." Scott turned to look at me. "Do I need to pick you up, or-?"
"I'll be fine. Santana's picking me up at 7 to take me to Puck's party."
"Okay. I'll see you tonight, then." Scott pulled out of the driveway, leaving Rachel and I standing in the driveway. I turned to Rachel and smiled lightly.
"So, about that food?" Rachel nodded slightly and gestured for me to follow her.
"Sure, come on in. Have you ever tried vegan tacos?" She asked. I thought I would gag at the mention of Rachel's eating habits, but I was surprised to find no negative response coming from my mouth. They actually sounded pretty good. I was on a diet trying to lose the few pounds I'd packed on over the summer for Cheerios, so something that had no animal byproduct in it sounded right up my alley.
"No, but I'm willing to try."
