Disclaimer: I don't own Glee. I do own the main character in this fanfiction.
Sara tried to stifle another yawn of boredom at the Cheerio lunch table. The other Cheerios were spending the whole time giggling and talking about whatever the latest gossip was at the moment. It's been a few days since Sara had helped Quinn and learned that Quinn was pregnant. The few times that their paths almost crossed Quinn were usually busy talking to Finn or another person in that Glee club. At practice Quinn would spend the whole time pretending to be a mini-Sylvester by degrading the other Cheerios. Though at last practice Quinn had stared at Sara as if she had thought of a mean comment to say but decided to refrain from speaking her mind. Sara was replaying this minor detail again in her head for the thousand time trying to decipher the meaning behind it when…
"Did you guys hear the big news about Quinn Fabray?" a brunette Cheerio exclaimed to the other Cheerios. Sara jarred out of her boredom faze at the sound of Quinn's name begins to focus more closely on the conversation. Quinn's pregnancy was already deemed old news, so the Cheerio must be talking about something different.
"Like yeah, I was there when the showdown happened between Quinn and Sylvester," a little Cheerio piped in.
"Showdown?" the brunette Cheerio scoffed, "More like a dress down, Quinn didn't even have time to respond back before Sylvester walked away,"
"Come on, tell us what happened!" one of the other Cheerios puffed out in exasperation, Sara mentally concurred with the Cheerio.
"Well, Sylvester walked up to Quinn, looked her in the eye and told her that she is kicked off the Cheerios. And that Sylvester thinks Quinn is a complete disgrace!" the eager-to-gossip brunette Cheerio happily replied, the rest of the Cheerios gasp in shock.
Sara sits at the table in shock, slowly absorbing the information she'd just learned. The Cheerio's gossiping voices become blocked out with the other cafeteria noises. For the rest of the day Sara blankly goes through the motions of school. Only at practice does Sara feel anything, a slight pain goes through her chest when she realizes that Quinn won't ever be walking out on that field again in her red Cheerio uniform.
At the next practice Santana takes over as Captain. Sara wants to knock the high bitch smirk off of Santana's face as she gazes over the group of Cheerios as if she owns them. Her triumph gaze hovers over Sara slightly as she takes in how animatedly Brittany is talking to her about Lord Tubbington and his new Atkins diet. Brittany rests her hand on Sara's arm for a brief moment in her excitement which causes Sara to focus all her attention back on Brittany, giving her a small smile. Across the distance Santana notices this little interaction, a frown mars her face for a slight moment before the HBIC facade slips back into place.
Practice begins and throughout it all Quinn can be seen sitting in the bleachers staring out longingly. Sometimes Sara can feel Quinn's eyes staring at her as Sara goes through the motions of the Cheerio routine with the jump ropes. Sara's heart aches with pain at what Quinn must be feeling and is grateful when she notices Finn approaching Quinn. Sara watches them for a brief moment and a pang of envy spikes through her at the luxury Finn has that he can approach and talk to Quinn whenever he wants. Sara quickly turns away and continues on the routine. Ashamed of herself she mentally chastises herself. At least Finn can help ease Quinn's pain while all Sara can do is follow orders like a good little cheerleader.
It's another boring lunch at the Cheerio table. Santana is with the Glee group attempting to sell cupcakes and Brittany is hanging out with Becky for today's lunch. Which leaves Sara stuck at the table without sharp witty remarks or a friendly face to help balance the presence of the rest of the Cheerio squad. Unable to help herself Sara observes the interaction between Quinn and Finn at the cupcake table. Quinn doesn't look too happy, Sara mentally notes which makes a small part of her happy. She silently hopes that maybe Quinn isn't really all that into Finn like the gossip says and the fact that Quinn had sex with Finn doesn't sit well with Sara. Sara can't hear the heated conversation well over the chatter of the cafeteria but she does catch the word 'job' directed at Finn before he goes on a pissed off rampage out of the room.
Quinn quickly wheels out of the room too, leaving Sara without the ability to admire the presence of her crush. Quinn wants Finn to get a job? The wheels begin to turn in Sara's mind as she tunes out the rest of the cafeteria to solve the latest Quinn riddle. Doesn't Quinn's family have money? Almost as if a light bulb goes off in her mind Sara realizes that Quinn hasn't told her family about her pregnancy and she probably needs money to help pay for checkups. Since Quinn is the kind of person that will make sure her baby is healthy and safe even if getting pregnant was a mistake.
Sara mentally agrees with Quinn that Finn needs to stop fooling around and find a job. For someone who has know that he is going to be a father for a few weeks now, Finn hasn't done anything. Sara thinks that if she were in Finn's predicament that she would be applying for all the jobs she could find in Lima and convincing Quinn that she is someone that Quinn can depend on for the struggles that Quinn will be facing in the future. Well, Sara may not be the father but maybe she can still help Quinn. It's got to be so hard on Quinn having to endure the loss of her social status, being pregnant, hiding it from her family… it's a lot of weight resting on Quinn's shoulders.
Seeing Quinn in so much stress and helplessness just isn't right. It's not fair that Quinn got pregnant and some people say that's just life but Sara mentally decides that life doesn't have to be so unfair if people could once in awhile lend a helping hand. Depending on Finn for financial support isn't the greatest sounding plan. Maybe I can help Quinn, Sara ponders to herself. Sara does a mental count of the money she has saved up from working in her spare time at the hockey arena. How can she convince Quinn to take it? Sara mentally struggles to find an answer to this question for the rest of the lunch period. If there is one obvious trait about Quinn it's her pride. There is no way that Sara can walk up to Quinn and give her money without that pride rearing up and declining any help.
The Next Day
Fiddling at her locker, Sara tries to determine whether to go along with her money plan for Quinn or to continue to avoid Quinn when she hears a squeak of horror a few lockers down. Tina had thrown her hands up to defend her face when she saw Karofsky approaching but he just gave her an evil smirk.
"You got lucky today, Gothic Freak," he says to Tina. A sense of dread fills Sara, her gut telling her that she knows who the intended target is. Slamming her locker shut Sara is drawn to follow Karofsky like how people are drawn to stare at car accidents while driving by. Her feet dutifully follow him as if they had a mind of their own. Turning the corner, Sara notices Quinn at her locker oblivious of the disaster that is moments away from hitting her. Quinn turns around just in time to realize that Karofsky is heading towards her with a blue slushie in hand.
Quinn's facial expression instantly changed. It was a subtle change, her shoulders sloughed into a defeated stance and the smile disappeared and her bottom lip gave a slight tremble of fear. Seeing Quinn looking resigned to her fate and her eyes filled with sadness and fear touched a deep place hidden within Sara. Anger inflamed Sara's veins and suddenly she lunged forward at Karofsky.
Karofsky is so focused on his intended target had he has no idea of what was heading towards him. Sara reached Karofsky just as he was tensing his arm to pitch the slushie at Quinn. Sara kicks the back of his knee cap and jerks his shoulder back while knocking the blue slushie out of his hand. Karofsky, unprepared for the onslaught, loses his balance and falls backwards. Lying on the cold floor in the hallway Karofsky tries to gather his bearings. However, before he even has the opportunity to realize that he is staring at the ceiling, gravity decided to kick in and return the blue slushie that had been knocked into the air. Sara watches through a red haze vision as Karofsky fell and the blue slushie splashes all over his face and upper body. Sputtering in cold and shock Karofsky looks up at his attacker.
"What the fuck? What the-"
"Shut up," Sara growls in a low voice at Karofsky, "Quinn is an ex-Cheerio but there is still the word 'Cheerio' in there and no one is allowed to slushie a Cheerio without dire consequences. Consider this your only warning or next time you might not be so lucky and Sylvester will punish you." Turning on her heels Sara turns away to make her getaway from the mess situation she had just caused. Sara only hesitated for a moment when she locked eyes with the ex-Cheerio. In those eyes she saw shock and gratefulness for an instant before Sara lowered her eyes to the floor and continues her getaway. Behind her the still air began to fill with fast quiet chatter as the students who had witnessed the event began to talk among each other. It's not often that a person stand up to Karofsky and wins. And the fact that Silent Sara, the cheerleader, was the one to do it just made the gossip that much juicer.
Quinn stood in shock and amaze staring down at the slushied Karofsky. Sara had just saved her. Someone that she has never done anything nice to had helped her not once, but twice. All the emotions of fear and insecurity vanished in Quinn, and unfamiliar warmth filled the void, the warm feeling radiating security and a sense of being cared for. Gathering her wits, Quinn smirked down on the shocked Karofsky then holding her head high, Quinn walked away to class. Her confidence renewed, Quinn walked as if she was once again on top of the world.
In a bathroom around the corner, ironically the same one Sara had found Quinn in; Sara had locked herself into a stall. Hyperventilating Sara struggles to regain her breath and calm down her adrenaline filled body. Swallowing a few breaths of air Sara begins to feel her heartbeat slow done to a more regular pace. Sara doesn't know who was more shocked, her or Karofsky. The anger Sara had felt for Karofsky had been so overwhelming that suddenly she was standing over his shocked blue slushied face. It was a stroke of pure genius that she was able to come up with a reasonable explanation for attacking Karofsky without revealing her feelings for Quinn Fabray. Quinn… oh fuck what did she think? Sara feels herself starting to panic again. Twice I've done something nice to Quinn, she must have figured out my feelings by now. But I did do a pretty good job covering up the true intentions for my actions, so maybe not… I wonder if I impressed her. Sara lights up at that thought.
Off in the distance a bell rings. Groaning Sara futilely attempts to shove all the wild thoughts flying through her mind into a dark corner. She's got five minutes to get to class and no matter how much she thinks about it she isn't going to find any answers in this bathroom stall.
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