Helloooooo! All of the comments are still cracking me up and leaving me with huge smiles on my face as I read them. Thank you all so much again! In this chapter: a little mystery is revealed...enjoy! :)
CHAPTER 4
Quinn moved to reclaim her seat. As she sat down, she remarked "I see you're working that pesky charm of yours again." Sam jutted his bountiful lips forward in a playful pout. "Don't give me that," Quinn replied "that woman's smile was a mile wide. I almost feel sorry for her. She's got no idea what she's walked into."
"Did it ever occur to you that maybe she was flirting with me?" Sam queried. His sister didn't hesitate to hurl a disparaging look in his direction. He couldn't help but laugh to himself, for he knew his self-defense had been ill-conceived. A moment later he glanced back at a serious faced Quinn. The pall that had been briefly lifted had returned with a vengeance and Sam knew he was destined for a lengthy scolding.
"Sam, why were you even in proximity to Noah Puckerman? That's just asking for the worst kind of trouble."
"I'm the victim here, Quinn. I think I've got the gash to prove it."
"I'm in no way undermining your plight. It's just unconscionable to me that you might engage him in any way, knowing our history."
"Puck's still the same shit-for-brains he was 18 years ago. Still latching onto the hottest little thing he can get his grubby hands on and throwing them away like garbage. And let's not forget how his family is in bed with Lima PD."
Quinn glanced down at her wedding ring and began to twist it slowly as she mulled over what she was hearing.
"With that said, I'm assuming no police report has been filed?"
"Jesus, Quinn, did you hear what I just said? Good old Sheriff Hudson's going to turn a blind eye to cousin Puck's havoc. That's what his father did and "Little Finn's" carrying out daddy's legacy. Look, I survived, that's all that matters. This is the same old Lima with the same old small town politics and cover-ups that we ran away from 18 years ago." Sam's face was red with aggravation and he could feel his blood pressure elevating with each weighty breath he exhaled.
"But you have witnesses this time. I've got no idea what his newest little trollop will do, but surely your friend Lamont will speak up for you? Noah can't just go around stabbing people without some sort of legal recourse."
"There's not enough money in Ohio to break the Hudson-Puckerman oath of treachery." Sam hissed.
With that terminal statement, Quinn dropped her head and grasped at her temples, which were now throbbing from anxiety. She felt helpless. It was a helplessness which she'd felt before, only then, she had been the unfortunate victim of a Noah Puckerman assault.
May 16, 2009 should have been a celebratory occasion for Quinn Evans. That was the night of the Freshman Formal at Lassiter Prep. That year, the co-eds from Lassiter welcomed the freshman class of Dalton Academy, and its sister branch the Keller-Bruce School for Girls to join them for an end of year bash. It was rare that the three schools interacted for reasons other than academic and sporting competitions. After several student requests for social integration, the Lassiter administration agreed to extend an invitation to the region's remaining schools of prestige.
Quinn and Sam were as close as ever, which surprised their parents as the twins, to their initial upset, had been accepted to differing schools for their foray into high school. Quinn was a bubbly and popular freshman at Lassiter while Sam struggled to find good footing at Dalton – an all boys academy. Eventually, Sam had risen within the ranks of his class and made fast friends with several upperclassmen, including Jesse St. James, the leader of the nationally renowned glee club: The Warblers.
The twins had decided to coordinate their outfits for the night. Quinn donned a lovely gossamer peach gown with cap sleeves, white high heeled sandals and her hair fashioned in a neat up-do; finished with a peach rose accoutrement. Sam went with the standard black tuxedo and bow-tie combo; finished with sleek wing tips and a peach rose tucked in his chest pocket. Mr. and Mrs. Evans snapped an obscene amount of photos that evening. Pose after pose, Quinn flashed a megawatt smile while Sam inched by with a spirited one-half version. The Evans twins were a blonde vision. Their well-to-do and attractive dates (Blaine Anderson and Rachel Berry, a Keller-Bruce attendee) considered themselves lucky to have one on their arm for the night.
The twins danced the night away to the likes of Lady Gaga and The Black Eyed Peas as well as upbeat classics and slow-dance favorites. Sam and Rachel made fools of themselves by square dancing during Bel-Biv-Devoe's "Poison" while Quinn and Blaine were the center of attention as they wowed the crowd of awkward 15 year olds with their passable Kid 'n' Play routine. Thus far, it had been the greatest night of their young lives. No parents, a more lenient faculty, and all the sugary treats Sam Evans could shovel down his ever-ready gullet.
Eventually a series of slow songs sent a hyper-emotional Rachel Berry into hysterics. A confounded Sam chased after her down the foreign halls of Lassiter. Quinn was one of few students privy to Blaine's homosexuality and seeing him nestled in a dark corner chatting up a doe eyed Dalton boy filled her with amusement and pride for her dear friend. She grabbed her purse from the coat check and headed for the restroom to freshen her make-up. Her cell phone beeped; she had 2 missed calls and 6 texts from Noah Puckerman.
Unbeknownst to anyone in her family or even her dear friend Blaine, Quinn had secretly started a romance with the town bad boy. The attraction between the two was instant and despite Puck's two-term senior status at McKinley High School, the older Evans twin was smitten beyond belief. They would meet whenever possible: before school, during the occasional off-campus lunch, after school, and at out-of-town school events. She was quickly dazzled by Noah's mature take on life and his gritty speech excited her refined sensibilities. Until this night, she had only come in contact with the truly frightening aspects of Puck's personality via anecdotes relayed under the influence of hard liquor. She fooled herself into thinking that she was untouchable because of her beauty and kindness.
At 15, Quinn was still pure and mostly inexperienced. She had resisted his sexual advances for several months and promised indulgence when the time was "right." The night of the Freshman Formal would be Noah's final attempt at conjugation.
She scrolled through the missed text messages which were a mixture of "Where's my lady at?" and "I need my Quinny now". She listened to her voicemail and could tell that he was already quite inebriated. He alerted her that he would be at the far corner of the parking lot and wished to rendezvous at 10pm. It irked her when he drank so furiously and got behind the wheel, but she forgave all of his foibles when met with his soft caresses and ardent kisses.
Quinn darted out into the hallway adjacent to the ballroom. When she saw no signs of adult interference, she made her way to the exit. Her heart fluttered at the thought of seeing her love.
"Where you going, Quinn?" a voice piped up.
She turned around to see her gangly, yet handsome brother. Her stomach lurched. "Oh, uh, it got a little stuffy in there. I just need some air. What are you doing out here?"
"Rachel's a nut ball. The girl started crying because 'Mariah Carey sings like an angel.' At least that's what I thought she was saying. There were lots of tears and snot and squeaking." Sam huffed, and then chased it with a light chuckle.
"Well, you should make sure she's alright." Quinn urged.
"She's in the restroom. Why don't I join you outside? I could use some air myself."
Quinn panicked. "No!" she yelped.
Sam jumped and shot her a quizzical look.
"I just…it's that time of the month" she stammered, "I need some 'girl time' alone."
Sam screwed up his face in mild disgust and retorted "Gross."
Suddenly, Rachel Berry emerged red-eyed from the nearby restroom.
"You should handle that." Quinn urged again and bolted for the door.
Moments later, Quinn hopped in the passenger side of Puck's Ford SUV. He greeted her with a sloppy kiss reeking of beer and marijuana. His white t-shirt and jeans were stained with what looked and smelled horribly of manure. She immediately pushed him off of her.
"Noah?" she squealed in disgust, "You're filthy and you're drunk."
"Take it or leave it, bitch." He replied nastily.
Quinn was struck with horror. For all of his foul language and questionable behavior, he'd never insulted her as such.
"How dare you?" she yelled.
Noah stared back at her blankly for a beat, then giggled. His speech slurring, he started "C'mon Q-Quinny…your Puckerdoodle didn't mean it."
She huffed "I don't like it when you're like this. And why are you so filthy?"
"I thought that's what you liked about me…how filthy I am?" Puck lunged for Quinn and pulled her forcefully to him. She tried harder than ever to wriggle away, but to no avail. He began kissing her and she felt a sickness rise from the pit of her stomach of which she'd never felt before.
"Noah, stop it. STOP IT!" she screeched.
He ignored her pleas and moved his hands to the bottom of her dress. He pushed the hem away and snaked his hands over her thighs until meeting the waist band of her panties.
"What are you doing?" she screamed as a scorching waterfall of tears streamed down her face.
"I'm taking what's mine." He seethed.
"Please don't do this. I'm not ready! Noah, please." Quinn whimpered.
"Shut up you little slut!" He roared.
Sam and Rachel stood near the punch bowl watching other couples slow dance. It had been several minutes since his sister had gone out for some fresh air. Something didn't sit right with him. "Rachel, did you see my sister come back?"
"I don't think so."
"Will you be okay here for a minute? I just want to make sure she's ok."
"Sure. I'll be right here, Sam."
Sam made his way outside and saw no sign of Quinn. The parking lot was mostly empty except for a black SUV parked under a street lamp with the motor still running. Suddenly the passenger side door of the SUV sprang open. Sam could see pale skin and flowing peach fabric rustling violently and suddenly being pulled back in. As if Sam was on fire, he bolted in the direction of the ruckus.
Quinn screamed "Help!" Sam ran harder than he'd ever run in his life. His pulse was sharp and his breath was labored.
"Quinn!" Sam howled. Within seconds he arrived at the vehicle and whipped the passenger door open. He spied his sister squealing in pain as she tried to fight off her attacker.
"Take your goddamn hands off my sister!" Sam roared. Quinn managed to scratch Puck's face just before Sam jerked her out of the vehicle.
"You fucking bitch!" Puck bellowed.
Sam and Quinn breathed heavily as they watched him speed away, the passenger side door to his SUV, still ajar, clanking back and forth.
"Are you okay?" Sam said breathlessly.
"I'm…." Quinn tried to respond, but could only collapse in tears as Sam cradled her tightly.
As the two made their way safely inside the doors to the school, Quinn uttered "I don't want anyone to know. You can't say anything, Sam. Do you hear me?"
"I won't. I won't." He assured his sister as he hugged her tightly and gently pat down her hair.
Later that night, Sam convinced his sister to tell their parents exactly what happened. Weakly, she replayed the night's frightening events and Sam held her hand throughout. Mr. and Mrs. Evans were obviously mortified and immediately called the authorities. To their shock and awe, they were met with discouraging apathy from Sheriff Finn Hudson, Sr. With no witnesses to the attack and no physical evidence, Lima PD spat in the face of justice. It wasn't long before rumors abound. Puck had been untraceable for several weeks following the assault and Mr. and Mrs. Evans grew increasingly unnerved. No longer feeling safe in the town where their children were born and reared, they moved west to California; finally settling in the wealthy Bel-Air community. In a short time, most of Lima erased The Evans family from its memory.
"Sam, why don't you come back to New York with me? You know we have more than enough room. You'd have your own wing. There'd be no time restraints."
Sam just stared at his sister. He could see the worry in her lovely face and he couldn't deny the guilt he felt for bringing up those horrid memories.
"I'm not a baby and I'm not your responsibility – no matter how much crap I give you. I've got to do my own thing."
"It's not that I'm babying you. I just worry. I don't think it's safe here. Can't you 'find yourself' somewhere closer to your loved ones? There's loads of undiscovered talent in New York and the east coast in general. This just isn't the place for my litt-"
She stopped herself from using that dreaded word of Sam's "-for my brother."
Sam clenched his jaw and sighed. "I can take care of myself and that's the end of this discussion."
"Your obstinacy is showing." Quinn rebutted.
"Damn right." Sam countered with a snort.
"Will you at least promise to visit soon? You've got to give me something."
Sam smiled wanly and nodded. Suddenly, he remembered the scrap of paper "Nurse Sexy" had given him. He handed it off to Quinn and added "Dr. Anderson wanted you to call him. He wants to grab dinner and catch up if you have time. Speaking of time: how long were you planning to stay?"
"I wasn't sure. I planned for 3 days tops in case you weren't near death – which I can clearly see you aren't." She registered Sam's mock offense and he paused as she threw up a firm hand and added "not that I was aspiring to that for you. I really am glad that you're alright. I don't know what I would have done otherwise." After mulling over her obligations at home and assessing Sam's current state, she decided to stick around for her intended length of stay. "You can't get rid of me that easily and it would be wonderful to see Blaine again, so I'll be here until Sunday."
Sam smiled brighter than before. "I'm already holed up at The Double Tree. If you want, you can just stay in my room. I don't know when they'll let me out of this place."
"Sounds like a plan." Quinn chuckled to herself and added "You know, we should just ask your new girlfriend when you'll be released."
Sam pursed his lips and turned his head away.
"Ugh! That damn bitch face!" Quinn huffed. Sam giggled slightly to himself as his sister just shook her head.
Suddenly there was a knock at the door and a turn of the handle. Mercedes opened the door slowly and peeked around the corner. "Breakfast!' she chirped brightly. Sam tried to sit up at attention as much as possible and Quinn eyed this quietly with delight. Gingerly placing a tray of chicken broth, lime jell-o, room temperature water and strawberry applesauce on the mobile room tray; she slid it over to Sam's chest. When he noticed the applesauce, his eyes lit up.
"I took a chance on the strawberry applesauce. I hope you like it." Mercedes offered with an enormous smile. Her deep brown eyes twinkled even under the fluorescent lights.
'I'm sure I'll love it. Thank you Mercedes." Sam said with a steady gaze and eye twinkle of his own.
Quinn was pleased as punch and couldn't help herself by interjecting "First name basis already?"
Mercedes smiled sheepishly and smoothed down the front of her scrubs. Sam shot Quinn a sweetly vicious look.
She finished "Nurse Jones…Mercedes, please be careful with this one. He's quite the flirt and I don't want you getting in trouble with your husband or boyfriend because you weren't properly warned."
Mercedes' head shot up and directing her response to Quinn said "Oh, I'm single." She glanced quickly at Sam who had suddenly become very interested in the lines and wrinkles of his hands. She smiled a small smile to herself, wondering if he were the tiniest bit embarrassed.
Quinn piped up "Well, then you especially better watch out. 'Single' is his favorite type of lady." She finished with a playful giggle that Mercedes mimicked.
"Ok, well, eat up, Mr. Evans. I'll be back in a few hours to check your dressing and vitals again. Let me know if you need anything else. Miss Evans-"
Quinn interjected "Actually, you can just call me Quinn. I'm sure I'll be seeing a lot of you for the next few days and I'm the jealous type – little brother can't be the only one on a first name basis with the very pretty nurse." She flashed a ridiculously beautiful smile and Mercedes returned with the same.
Giggling "Ok, Quinn, it is." Mercedes exited.
"We are in a fight." Sam hissed playfully.
"Little brother, I just did you the biggest favor of all." Reaching into her handbag, she withdrew her cell phone and began to dial Blaine's number. As she waited to leave a voice mail she added "Just make sure I get a good seat at the wedding. Eat up."
Sam just shook his head as he brought a heaping spoonful of delicious strawberry applesauce to his mouth.