I DO NOT OWN GLEE.
Thanks for the reviews, they seriously remind me to keep writing because people out there actually find the scenarios my brain thinks up entertaining!
GLEE!
Brittany's loud giggle pierced through the bowling alley, she had borrowed Artie's socks and was sliding up and down the lanes, Tina was giggling her head off and sliding in the lane beside her under Mike's watchful eye; after last time he had elected to stay far, far away from the beer and be the designated driver.
"Damn Berry, what's in that pink ball?" Puck groaned watching Rachel score another strike. "I can't believe I'm losing to a girl who is using a bright pink bowling ball."
"It's easy." Rachel replied smirking. "I just picture Karofsky's face on the pins and aim."
"And her and Finn used to bowl every Friday night." Kurt muttered before turning his attention to Mercedes who was dancing around the front of the karaoke stage while Santana tearfully sang some song he didn't recognise.
"Hey Puckerman get your ass over, I'm going to cream Evans in air hockey." Lauren yelled loudly waving her boyfriend over.
"What time is it?" Blaine yawned, despite the fact he had been practically drooling on the scoreboard he looked the picture of put together.
"Just after three." Kurt replied. "Finn still hasn't shown up."
"He's probably stuck listening to Quinn's conspiracy theories over losing Prom Queen." Santana snickered her eyes red rimmed, Mercedes had taken over the karaoke and was entertaining Andre, Tina and Mike. "She is going to be almost as annoying as Berry usually is on Monday."
"I'm going home, if I want to be functioning while I cook brunch tomorrow I'll need more than three hours sleep." Rachel announced ignoring Santana.
"Fine, steal my boyfriend away." Kurt sulked; Rachel's parents had offered to let Blaine sleep in the guest room since Burt had laid down the law of no sleepovers at their house. "I'll see you at 11."
"Are you okay to drive?"
Rachel waved the keys merrily and smiled.
"Of course, I signed Mr. Schue's sober pledge and I plan to honor it. Of course I will be blasting the RENT soundtrack loudly to make sure I don't fall asleep." She giggled at the small group in front of Mercedes all waving their phones in the air slowly rocking from side to side. "I'll wait for you outside so you two can say goodbye properly."
Kurt shot her a grateful look before she made a speedy exit; she didn't bother making the rounds to say goodbye; besides her only Kurt and Mike were sober and chances were nobody would remember if she had said goodbye or not in the morning.
"Is the party over?"
Rachel jumped, dropping her keys.
"You scared me!" She huffed placing a hand to her speeding heart.
"Sorry."
"It's fine."
The two lapsed into an awkward silence.
"What are you-"
"I heard-"
Rachel smiled ruefully.
"Congratulations on Prom King."
Finn patted his head self-consciously; he'd ditched the crown when he'd changed out of his suit and into more comfortable clothes but he could still feel the weight of the damn thing.
"Thanks." He was nervous; he kept jiggling his keys in his pocket.
"You should head on in, everybody has been asking after you. As royalty you have a duty to your people." She teased lightly leaning back against her car and cursing Blaine and Kurt for still being in that phase where goodbye's took hours.
"I liked your song." He told her ignoring her earlier words.
"I basically called your girlfriend a bitch and told her to stop talking." Rachel said succinctly.
"She deserved it." He replied honestly. "All I've heard for the last few weeks was how we had to win Prom Court so we could be back on top, popular and all that crap. I kind of forgot that the last time I was popular I was an ass."
Rachel said nothing staring intently at the bowling alley doors willing Blaine to come out.
"Why didn't you tell me about what Quinn said to you?"
"It wouldn't have changed anything." Rachel said slowly. "You know exactly the kind of person she is, how she is and you obviously accept that since you're dating her again. I just presumed that her horrible personality didn't matter to you since you love her and are going to get married and take over Burt's shop."
"Sorry bout that Rach." Blaine called from the door coming to a stop when he noticed Finn. "Hey."
"Hey." Finn replied obviously less than pleased to see him.
"Well thank you for keeping me company while I waited for Blaine, I won't keep you any longer." Rachel declared loudly grasping Blaine's arm in a death grip and practically throwing him towards the passenger door. "Good night."
Without waiting for his own goodbye Rachel jumped in the car and was pulling out with remarkable speed. He was in love with Quinn and going to marry her. For the rest of his life all he would hear about were his shortcomings and how he bought the wrong milk and listen all day to people talk about cars; a lima loser. Now he knew why that crappy plastic crown felt so heavy; it was a goddamn life sentence.
GLEE!
Brunch had been a hit; despite barely sleeping after her non-conversation with Finn which had been on replay all night, Rachel had put all her energy into cooking. Blaine had eaten his weight in cinnamon waffles and Kurt had taken the left over banana cherry bread home. Sean and Hanna hadn't stayed long since it was Sunday and they needed to go to church but Rachel had made sure they had both eaten at least a waffle and pancake.
She had busied herself the rest of the day by cleaning her room, sorting out her closet and taking anything she hadn't worn in the last year and bagging it up to drop off at a charity store. Unfortunately her distraction techniques wouldn't work when she was faced with Finn at school today. She didn't know why she couldn't have just kept her mouth shut instead of having verbal diarrhoea.
"Berry!"
Oh joy, she may have called a tentative truce with Santana at prom when she took her side over Quinn's but she didn't think that extended to buddying up in the halls.
"Hello-"
"I need your spare clothes." Santana interrupted gesturing to her slushee covered self.
Rachel spun her locker combo and pulled out her carefully packed duffle.
"There's toiletries and a travel hairdryer in there as well." She told her handing it over. "Do you need help getting the ice out of your hair?"
"Berry, it's bad enough I'm going to be dressed like you for the rest of the day, we've been talking for less than five minutes and I'm already breaking out in hives. Let's not push it." Santana rolled her eyes.
"Actually those aren't hives but a reaction to the fructose in the syrup they use in the slushee machines, be careful with the hot water, it can aggravate it." Rachel corrected her ignoring the eye-rolling. "Use the girls locker room, I'll get Brittany to distract Coach Sylvester, the last time she caught me in there she made me clean each individual pom pom string for the entire squad-"
"And coat each with a layer of clear nail polish so they would shine?" Santana finished. "Thanks, I guess you're not so bad when you aren't harping on about yourself."
"And you're not horrible when you forget to be a bitch so that no one ever realises you're vulnerable too." Rachel replied, casting a quick look around the hallway she dropped her voice down low. "I know you have feelings for Brittany and are scared of the consequences, if you ever need someone to talk to, I'm here. I think you'll agree that when it comes to public humiliation, scorn and heartache I should be a recognised expert."
"Obviously never getting laid has messed with your head." Santana sneered, the short brunette placed a hand on her arm and smiled at her sadly.
"I'll go find Brittany and Coach Sylvester while you shower."
She skipped off down the hallway without another word leaving Santana gaping after her; her thoughts echoed her way earlier sentiment. Maybe she should get to know Rachel after all.
"What are you looking at?" She snapped to the freshman giggling. "I keep razor blades in my hair and I will cut you good if you don't get out of this hallway right now!"
The freshman looked uneasy and when Santana stepped forward, raising a hand to her hair she bolted. At least she was still able to scare the crap out of people; of course now her main target for torture was Karofsky, and after all the terrible things he'd done to Rachel and Kurt maybe she could get some ideas out of them. Nothing hurt more than having your own tricks used against you.
"You know what they say about payback." She mused to herself, well she's the bitch in that scenario.
She emerged from the locker room in a black skirt and black tank top with a sparkly butterfly printed on it; thanks to her assets the top managed to be a size too small saving her from looking like a pre-schooler, her boots had survived the slushee attack and thankfully worked with her outfit.
"This is how to look good in your clothes." She said in greeting to Rachel who was talking to Brittany and not in Spanish like she was meant to be. "Cutting class? Isn't that against the goody-goody handbook?"
"I have a note from Mr. Schuester excusing us from class, I told him we had a female problem and he practically threw the slip at me." She explained. "I didn't think you'd want his pity in glee this afternoon, I know I hate it and he'll probably give another speech about being underdogs and not letting it bother you."
"Smart thinking, if he gets all harpy again Glee really will turn into just another after school special sob story." Santana turned to Brittany who was playing with one of the plaits coming down from her hat. "How did you distract Sylvester?"
"I told her I heard Karofsky and Azimio makig fun of Madonna." Brittany replied. "She locked them in the AV room and is making them watch all of her music videos and movies. She's personally supervising."
"I'd feel sorry for them if they weren't disgusting homophobic cretins." Rachel shuddered. "Even Swept Away?"
"I don't know." Brittany shrugged. "I have to meet Artie next period, he's tutoring me in English."
Brittany walked off leaving the two other girls alone.
"She doesn't take English." Rachel commented, her eyebrows crinkling in confusion.
"She means History." Santana told her linking their arms and pointing her towards the choir room. "She only thinks it's English because she thinks all books are fiction."
"Santana, Spanish is in the opposite direction."
"I know that, I'm not retarded." She retorted. "Or Finn. Look Berry, you've managed to grow lady balls since Prom and you put a beat down on Quinn, that girl has been all up in my grill with her holier than thou shit for too long, it was about time someone told her to shut the hell up. And the fact that it was you? Well that tickles me, it's my job to keep it real around here and at Prom that's exactly what you did."
"I don't think I'm following."
"You got interesting." She said curtly.
"I think we're more alike than you care to admit." Rachel stated sitting down at the piano. "We both put out a persona for others to perceive so that we don't get hurt."
"So you're not an annoying midget who is the very definition of a selfish egomaniac?" Santana snapped crossing her arms protectively over her chest.
"My belief in my talent is the only certainty in my life, just the same as your belief that your looks are all you can rely on." Rachel countered. "The only reason we focus so much on them is because they are all we are ever noticed for. Maybe if other people looked past my love of singing they would see that there is more to me than that. And maybe if people weren't so afraid of you they would really see you too."
"Maybe I don't want people to see me." She said softly. "This is High School and not one of those touchy feely our friends are our family schools like on TV, no one can be who they really are and be happy. Kurt was chased off for being gay, Suzy Peppers got committed, I'm surprised you haven't brought a gun to school and shot this place up. I wouldn't have blamed you if you did, if it was me I know I wouldn't still be coming in here day after day with a stupid big smile on my face."
"Do you know what I said to Quinn at Prom?"
"That she was a bitch?" Santana remembered smiling.
"Before that." Rachel corrected surprised that it wasn't already buzzing around school. "I told her that my best years were still to come but that hers? They were behind her. And its the same with all those other people who try to keep us down."
"Damn, that's cold." Santana whistled. "Not that she didn't already deserve it because of her personality but what exactly did she do to make you go all Carrie on her at Prom?"
"She called Jesse and told him I wanted him back and had him show up at my door to take me to prom."
"And people think I'm the bitch." Santana muttered. "Even I think that's going too far. I bet Frankenteen was pissed. That night we were together; the only reason he had anything to do with me was because I told him you were already doing it with that spy."
Rachel blinked back the tears that threatened her eyes.
"Why did you tell me that? Why did you tell me about it at all?"
"Because he was too chicken shit to do it himself. I may have had ulterior motives; I was sick of you and him being all cheesy and happy, singing all the solos. But regardless, you deserved to know. I was a bitch and I taunted you but believe me it was hardly memorable. It was over before it began and he spent most of the night locked in the bathroom. I'm pretty sure I heard him crying at one point." Santana bit her lip. "If it makes you feel any better, I know he regretted it. He said he felt nothing. It was a blow to my ego, it hurt that I couldn't turn him on but you could."
"It was the first time someone ignored your looks and went for someone else, someone you and everyone else see as plain, ugly, unattractive." Rachel deduced. "The only thing he said to me when I found out was that you were Super Hot."
"I would have killed him."
"I wanted to hit him but Miss Pillsbury-Howell advised me to just walk away." Rachel laughed, it felt good.
"What was up with that? If you want relationship advise go to someone who's been in a functional one not the OCD crazy lady." Santana snickered. "And now your man is all kinds of messed up and back with Ex-Preggers."
"I'd rather not talk about that." Rachel mumbled busying herself with the piano keys although she had the feeling Brad was about to appear and admonish her for daring to touch his piano, he was oddly attached to the instrument.
"Well you want him back right?" Santana prodded. "Why, I can't even pretend to understand but you want him back."
"I'm in love with him." She affirmed. "But I don't want him back. I thought I did but if he can forgive Quinn for her mistakes, her faults but is unable to do the same for me then obviously he was never in love with me."
"Who told you that pile of horse shit?"
"I believe that would be reasoning of the dim light bulb my intellectually challenged brother calls a brain." Kurt called out joining the two girls. "What are you two doing, together, not killing each other?"
"Berry's not so bad when she's not yapping about her unrivalled talent."
"And Santana's not so bad when she's not being a bitch. To me at least."
"Oh this is so much better than watching Jacob twitch in health class." Kurt squealed clapping excitedly. "Could it be that the two of you are considering embarking on a friendship?"
"Let's call it a tentative truce with the potential for friendship type possibilities." Rachel clarified sharing a nod with Santana.
"Does this mean that I can finally take you shopping and give you a makeover?" Kurt asked. "I know you can't win an argue with the both of us against you."
"I told you that I am comfortable in my look." Rachel grumbled. "But if you must I will allow you to embellish upon my style."
"We are so picking out some smoking hot outfits designed to make Finn and the rest of the slobbering dogs that attend this school pop a woody at the sight of us." Santana decided her eyes glinting dangerously.
"This is so Queer Eye." Kurt gushed. "Just call me Carson."
"Let's go, I'll drive." Santana declared heading towards the door, Kurt on her heels.
"We can't just skip class." Rachel protested.
"Please, you've got a 4.0 and enough extracurriculars that you probably could have qualified for graduation last year." Kurt reminded her. "One afternoon off will not kill you, besides every new friendship can only be solidified by a shopping trip."
"Fine. But if we get caught you have to explain to my fathers what happened." Rachel threatened wagging a finger in her friend's face. Kurt visibly paled; Rachel's fathers had taken him under their wing but considering one of them boxed in his spare time he really didn't want to piss him off.
"We just wont get caught then." Kurt whispered to himself.
"Please I never get caught." Santana smirked rummaging through her bag before she finally produced what she was looking for. "What? You think I made out with the class president because he was cute?"
Kurt accepted the pass while Rachel studied hers; pre-stamped passes that allowed them out of school. Santana carefully wrote out the same reason on each three passes.
"Group therapy?" Rachel read aloud.
"Yeah, I've been using the same excuse to get out of chemistry all year. If the secretary asks you have violent fantasies; it's the only excuse that she wont pass on as gossip in the lunch room, last thing I need is Mr Schue trying to force me to have sessions with his girl crush." Santana rolled her eyes yanking open the door to the office.
"Afternoon Ms. Lopez." The secretary greeted, non too subtle about moving the scissors and stapler away. Santana just scoffed internally practically slamming the passes on the desk. Rachel not to be outdone flexed her right fist repeatedly and twitched slightly while Kurt scowled and glared out into the hallway moodily. The secretary hastily copied the passes and handed them back. "Have a nice afternoon Ms Lopez, Ms Berry and Mr Hummel."
Santana snorted and snatched them from her outstretched hand tossing two of them towards Rachel and Kurt. The three stayed in their stony faced persona's until they were in Santana's car and heading down the road.
"I can't believe that worked." Kurt gasped out in between laughs. "Obviously the public school system is exactly what it is so commonly referred to as."
"Shit?" Santana guessed. "I've been having these so called therapy sessions since I was sophomore, you'd think someone would notice."
"As long as they have documentation I don't think they care if we live or die." Rachel dismissed. "The only time they will is if they can get in trouble, how else could Coach Sylvester still have a job? She breaks child labour laws everyday!"
"She's got blackmail on everyone." Santana revealed. "She'll never get caught out. And I learned from her, that's why we wont get caught."
Rachel nodded projecting confidence she was lacking; she hoped that this was a genuine olive branch from Santana but there was still that little voice telling her it was one giant metaphorical slushee waiting to happen.
GLEE!
Is April Rhodes Sam's mother? BECAUSE THAT WOULD BE AWESOME!
I'm trying to get ahead on this fic so I can work out a regular update schedules. However I am also writing a fic with a less mean Quinn based on what we saw in Born This Way.
Now I'm not so convinced that Quinn and Finn were never in love. Damn you Ryan Murphy for giving her layers! The other fic will be based around one question: If Quinn was teased so badly and made to feel so horrible about herself, how could she turn around and do it to others?