Author's Note: I apologize for the lack of updates recently. I've been busy with researching for a Brittana multi-chapter fic that soothes my inner psychology nerd. But now that the research is basically done, this should return to a regular schedule of updates.
Chapter Seven: Temptation Turns into Revelations
It was the first day of December and life moved on like normal. Rachel had spoken very little to Kurt and Mercedes since their fight, only interacting with the two during classes and glee rehearsals. Too proud to apologize to them, the starlet convinced herself that she no longer needed them now that she had Cheerios and the attention of the entire student body.
She did get attention, plenty of it. People were always looking at her. Boys wanted her and girls wanted to be her. Rachel was in heaven or at least, the heaven before she reached Broadway. Several times a week Jacob Ben Israel tried to get her to go on a date with him. When she refused, he would ask for a pair of her panties as a consolation prize.
She usually felt like showering after speaking with him.
But, nevertheless, he was a Rachel Berry fan. He was a creepy fan, practically a stalker, but he was still a fan. The thought of someone thinking about her made Rachel feel important. Someday, she told herself, she would have innumerable admirers.
Everyone in McKinley would pay attention to her, except for one person. He had seemed to forget her existence with Quinn constantly draped over him or hanging on him whenever they had a moment. The blonde had since seemed to remember which boy she was dating.
Rachel slammed her locker shut, sending a loud clanging sound to ring throughout the hallway. She tried some deep breathing techniques to sooth her frustration. It was almost time for the glee club meeting, but the starlet hardly felt gleeful that day. Seeing Finn and Quinn together so much lately had worn on her patience.
She turned away from her locker to see the couple advancing toward her. The quarterback had his arm slung over the blonde's shoulders, a large grin on his face. Rachel had tried to bury the envious twinges she felt seeing the cheerleader and quarterback together, but it was to no avail. She could not help thinking that Quinn did not deserve Finn, she had cheated on him after all.
Swallowing the jealously bubbling up, she sent them a friendly smile. "Hello, Quinn, Finn."
"Rachel!" beamed the blonde as she broke away from Finn's grasp to hug the shorter girl.
The brunette was surprised by the head cheerleader's gesture. Quinn had never hugged her before, but it was definitely welcome.
"Excited for the pep rally Friday?" asked Quinn as she tore from the embrace. "You know the Cheerios are performing?"
Rachel returned the taller girl's grin. "Yes, Coach shouted it to us when we were in the showers yesterday, remember?"
The blonde laughed. "You get used to that sort of thing after awhile."
"What, coaches bellowing information at you while you're showering?" Rachel smirked.
Behind Quinn, Finn coughed, reminding the two girls he was still there.
"We should be heading to glee, right?" Finn looked at his girlfriend like a child seeking approval.
Quinn nodded. "Rachel, would you like to walk with us?"
The shorter cheerleader smiled at her captain, accepting. Falling into an easy silence, the three ambled down the school corridor toward the choir room. As they went, Rachel wondered if the Cheerio captain had told Finn about the pregnancy scare, and especially, who the father would have been. Honestly, she doubted it by the goofy grin on Finn's face. If he had worries about his girlfriend's previous fright, he did not show it.
Rachel was jostled out of her thoughts when a girl rammed into Quinn, knocking the soft drink she carried all over the blonde's cheer uniform.
"Oh my gosh! I'm so sorry!" exclaimed the girl as she adjusted her large glasses. "I-I didn't see you, I swear!"
The brunette thought she glimpsed fury flash across Quinn's hazel eyes, vanishing as fast as it appeared.
The head Cheerio wiped at some of the sticky substance spilled on her. "It's okay." Her voice was strained. "Really," she said through gritted teeth, "it's fine."
The other girl, shivering with fear, nodded and fled the scene. Rachel found herself admiring how Quinn was able to keep calm with the clumsy girl. She glanced over to Quinn, intending to comment on that, when she noticed that the pale brown liquid was quickly staining the blonde's red-and-white top.
She flushed. "Quinn, you might consider putting on a jacket of some sort: I can see your bra."
Looking down, the taller cheerleader groaned at the sight. "Ugh, Finn, gimme your jacket."
Finn, however, made no response. His eyes were fixated on the black sports bra that was showing beneath the saturated white fabric.
"Finn!" barked Quinn, her previous composure gone.
The jock flinched back to life. "I wasn't looking!"
"I'm sure," muttered the blonde before adding more loudly, "Give me your jacket; I can't go to glee like this."
Finn obediently shrugged off his letterman jacket and slid it onto Quinn's smaller frame. The trio started toward the choir room again.
"That girl is so going to get it," stated the head cheerleader.
"Yeah, you hate root beer," commented Finn.
Quinn shook her head. "That's not the point. She humiliated me and I won't let her get away with it."
"What are you going to do?" questioned Rachel, curious.
Instead of answering the shorter girl directly, the blonde turned to her boyfriend. "I want the football team to slushie her—everyday, until she graduates. I don't want to see an unstained spot on that hideous rag she calls 'a dress.'" She stared at the tall boy commandingly. "Am I clear?"
"Yes, Quinn."
Rachel imagined she could hear the sound of a whip cracking as they entered the choir room. As she took a seat beside Brittany and Santana, she flashed back to her first day at McKinley.
"Watch where you're going, midget!"
The slushie facials started not long after she had bumped into Quinn that morning. Did Quinn order the football team to slushie her for running into her then? Eyeing the blonde cheerleader taking the seat next to Finn, Rachel decided that it hardly mattered whether or not Quinn had ordered the icy-cold facials or not.
As Mr. Schue strolled into the choir room, she leaned back in chair, sighing. It did not take long before she had tuned out the teacher's voice and lost herself in her mind.
Again and again, she had been plagued with thoughts of telling him of Quinn's infidelity. He had a right to know, she rationalized. But the terrified and desperate look on her friend's face back in that restroom had prevented her from doing so.
As she sat listening to Mr. Schuester rap some 90's song, her eyes wandered over to Finn and Quinn. The blonde cheerleader had her head on his shoulder and the quarterback wrapped his arm over her in return. Ever since her bathroom confession, Quinn had been extremely affectionate with Finn.
Rachel frowned. It was painful to see the two together.
She cast a look to Noah Puckerman. The other football player was stealing glances of the flaxen-haired girl. The mohawked boy appeared distressed. She had never really spoken much to Noah if at all, but she could tell something was bothering him. She wondered if it was a bad breakup.
She let the thoughts go when the director finished.
"Mr. Schue, if I may?" Kurt raised his hand. "I'm not sure if that song choice would be a good idea for the pep rally."
Rachel realized she must have not been listening because she had no memory of being told the glee club was singing at the pep rally too. She suddenly felt her full attention shift onto the conversation. Perhaps she would get a solo.
"That song," Kurt went on to say, obviously picking his words carefully, "well, let's just say it isn't a song that inspires."
Mr. Schuester was taken aback. "And what do you suggest, Kurt?"
"I know my specialty in music selection is more theatrical typically," the boy replied, "But I was thinking of maybe Queen's 'We Will Rock You'."
Will nodded thoughtfully. "I think that actually might be better."
"I know."
Rachel had to agree with her former friend. Anything would be better than "Ice, Ice Baby." Sometimes, she wondered what her teacher was thinking.
"I think that is an excellent song choice and I volunteer my services in singing it," Rachel announced, flashing her award-winning smile.
Her grin faded as Mr. Schuester paused and stared at her, looking uncomfortable.
"Actually, Rachel," the club director said apologetically, "I was thinking that Finn and Quinn would sing it as a duet."
The hurt starlet shot a glance at the chosen two behind her. Quinn smirked and Finn merely shrugged and mouthed 'Sorry'.
Rachel was not pleased. But she nodded sadly and remained quiet for the rest of the meeting. She felt her thoughts tugging her back into her mind. She found herself pondering whether or not the head Cheerio's unfaithfulness was what Mercedes had meant by life-ruiner. She knew it upset her greatly to see Finn giving Quinn all his devotion when the fair-haired girl had cheated on him with a different football player.
The short cheerleader also found it irritating that ever since Quinn joined glee club, only the blonde got to sing with Finn. Rachel let herself pine for the time when Finn only sang with her, not his unfaithful girlfriend.
She felt her smile slowly return.
The days passed quickly and monotonously. The pep rally would be held last period that afternoon. However, Rachel had doubts Quinn would be able to sing or perform their Cheerios or glee number.
Ever since that awful day in the bathroom together when the two girls held on to each other for dear life, Rachel had become something like Quinn's confidant. The brunette felt a strange stir of emotions for the head cheerleader these past few weeks since she discovered her friend's infidelity. It was a unique blend of caring, tenderness, and sisterhood with a serving of the desire to sneak into Quinn's bedroom and hold a pillow over the blonde's face until the struggling stops.
Quinn was presently kneeling over the toilet in the girl's bathroom nearest the choir room. Rachel was bent behind her and rubbing the sick cheerleader's back comfortingly as the blonde heaved again. For the past three days, the two girls spent much time on restroom floors throughout the high school. Gastroenteritis, the stomach flu, had seized the Cheerio captain.
"Oh God, I swear there's a shark shredding my stomach to pieces," moaned Quinn, her ashen face still hovering above the toilet bowl.
Rachel grimaced, feeling a stab of pity. "You should go home, Quinn. You're sick."
The blonde shook her head, "I'm fine. I'm just being a baby is all."
"Nonsense, you're sick. You can't keep anything down and I bet you have a fever."
"I'll live."
Rachel rolled her eyes, growing impatient with other girl's stubbornness. "At least don't sing at the rally today," the starlet reasoned with her. "You're obviously not up to it."
She felt her friend stiffen underneath her hand. "I can't imagine how bad it'll smell in gym with all those people in the bleachers, stinking of sweat and mystery meat from the cafeteria," muttered the cheerleader. The blonde convulsed as she dry heaved at the sheer thought. "I'm in hell," Quinn whispered to herself.
The brunette bit her lip. "I can tell Mr. Schue that you're unable to attend the rally today if you want."
The only response she received was a sniffle and a subtle nod.
When it was time for the pep rally, Rachel stood in Quinn's place on the stage. The bleachers were filled with teenagers and teachers cheering loudly. The gymnasium was booming with the sound of the school band and excited shouts of the spectators.
Rachel was high with the sound of the applause the Cheerios had just received with their outstanding performance. Coach Sylvester had nearly unleashed Armageddon when Quinn failed to show, but luckily held her temper back enough to keep the starlet (and many others, she was sure) from another year of therapy. Eventually Sue had had Santana fill in as the temporary head cheerleader, and Rachel deemed that she had never seen the Latina more delighted to be a Cheerio.
Presently, it was time for the glee club to sing their song as the closing number. As she stood silently on the stage opposite of Finn, she could not stop the grin that kept fighting its way onto her face. The starlet was overjoyed that she got to sing with the quarterback after all, in front of the whole school no less. First, the Cheerios' jaw-dropping routine and now every student would hear her dazzling voice.
She felt a dull sting of despair still. She was only standing in front because Quinn was too ill to sing. She swallowed the remorse. The show had to go on with or without her friend.
The music started and she listened as Finn started chanting the first verse. She joined him in belting out the chorus, and the two commenced in what the brunette girl could only consider a sing-off. The rest of New Directions were behind her and her partner, singing the background vocals. Rachel waved her hands to the audience, encouraging them to join in too. Soon, the whole gymnasium was pounding with the beat of Queen.
They received a standing ovation. Rachel grabbed Finn's hand and took a bow, her ecstasy spilling over. When she stood upright again, she saw by the gym entrance was standing Quinn. The head cheerleader's face was a swirl of suspicion and nausea. The shorter Cheerio dropped the quarterback's hand self-consciously. She held Quinn's gaze momentarily before shuffling out of the gym with the rest of the glee club.
However, before she entered the choir room with the group, she decided to turn back and check if Quinn was feeling all right. She remembered that the blonde dreaded the smell of the place and the heavily pulsating music could give a healthy person a sick stomach.
Rachel was about to open the double doors, when she saw that the ill Cheerio was standing where she left her. Only Quinn was not alone. There in front of the blonde stood Noah Puckerman.
She never considered herself a nosy person, but she was…concerned. She was concerned about her friend's well-being when that friend was with the boy who had taken her virginity. So, she did what any concerned friend would do, she waited outside the door and strained her ears. She could only hear indistinct voices, making her sigh in frustration. Speak louder, she mentally shouted to them. She peered through the door's window. She wished she knew what Noah was saying to Quinn.
The hidden observer gasped when Puck leaned over and kissed Quinn. Rachel's hand flew over her mouth before she raced to the choir room. Her decision about telling Finn about Quinn's secret had just been sealed with a kiss.
When she got inside the room, Mr. Schue was congratulating the glee club on a job well done. She swiftly took the seat beside Finn.
"Can we talk after?" she whispered to him, who looked confused but nodded anyway.
When the director dismissed them for the day, Rachel remained seated and watched as the rest of the club hurriedly got up from their respective seats and scurry out of the room. Once the room was empty aside from herself and Finn, she took a deep breath and thought about how she wanted to say it.
"I'm afraid I'm the bearer of bad news, Finn," she started slowly.
Finn grew worried. "Oh no, did someone die?"
"What? No. It's concerning Quinn."
"What about Quinn?" the quarterback asked, even more confused than before.
Rachel took another deep breath. She did not want to betray her friend's trust but this was an odd situation, she justified. She was not telling the whole of McKinley, just one person. Finn deserved to know the truth. He should know what was going on with his girlfriend, even if it was not good.
"Quinn's cheating on you," she said softly.
The boy's brown eyes doubled in size. "What?"
"She has been seeing someone else. She had a pregnancy scare."
Finn looked dumbfounded. "But—but we've been saving ourselves for—"
Rachel cut him off before he could finish. "She's cheating on you, Finn," she revealed, "with Noah."
"Noah Puckerman?"
She nodded.
He remained stoic. She supposed that he must be in denial about the situation. So she decided to further clarify for him. "I know because I was there when she took the pregnancy test. She told me everything." Before she could think, more words spilled from her. "She made me promise not to tell anyone, but I knew you needed to know. And you needed to know, right, Finn?"
When he showed no sign of response, she pressed, "Finn?"
The petite cheerleader watched as Finn's expression of distress morphed into rage.
"How could she do this to me?" yelled the boy as he stood up violently and kicked the chair he had been sitting on, causing Rachel to jump. "We've been going steady since summer of our freshman year!"
He paced around the empty room like a caged animal, running his hands through his hair. His face was a torrent of hurt, fury, and betrayal.
Rachel sat in her chair still, watching him as he worked through the initial shock of the revelation. She had to admit, she was actually frightened by Finn's reaction. She had expected yelling at first, but then he would have broken down into tears and she would comfort him in his time of need. They would bond over it and he would break up with Quinn and be with her. She had been kind enough to break her promise to a friend of hers to make sure he knew the truth.
But, he shed no tears as he stood stiffly with his back turned to her as he stared off into nothing. Rachel bit her lip, mulling over words of comfort she could say.
"Finn?" the small girl started gently.
The footballer was unresponsive for a heartbeat before shaking his head to her. "I'm sorry, Rachel," he muttered, his anger and pain still evident. "I can't right now." He then left the choir room, slamming the door behind him.
The starlet sighed and let her brown gaze fall to the floor. She remained seated, feeling slightly numb from her conversation. It was not exactly how she planned it but at least he knew the truth. That was what was most important, she mentally told herself.
She looked back up upon hearing the door open again. But it was not Finn coming back to thank her, unfortunately. Instead, she saw Santana staring at her oddly. She felt fear tighten around her heart. She hoped that the other cheerleader had not heard what she and Finn were talking about.
"What are you doing here, Santana?" Rachel blinked. She had thought everyone would have gone home by now.
The Latina replied with a smirk and brushed by her to the row behind the shorter girl.
She bent over and picked up something. "Forgot my bag," she said, holding the satchel up for the other brunette to see. She then started to leave, but before she made it to the exit, she stopped and turned back to Rachel.
"Hey, short stack." Santana paused briefly, her prior mirth faded into curiosity. "About Quinnie the Pooh, is it true?"
The starlet decided to play dumb with hopes that the taller brunette would just drop the subject.
"I don't know what you're talking about."
Santana rolled her eyes impatiently and crossed her arms. "Cut the crap, leprechaun," she snapped harshly. "You forget I'm best friends with Brittany—I know when someone is just playing stupid."
Rachel swallowed nervously and toyed with the fringes of her skirt. There was no use in denying it.
"Yes," the shorter cheerleader replied in defeat before adding more forcefully, "But you can't tell anyone!"
The other cheerleader's expression was strangely thoughtful, soft almost. But it faded as quickly as it came.
"About Quinn and Puck?" a subtle smirk played at her lips. "Don't worry, man-hands, I won't tell anyone about that."
Rachel watched as Santana left, carrying her forgotten bag and the knowledge of Quinn's secret with her. The starlet stared as the door banged shut again, leaving her all alone with her thoughts. She sighed and leaned back in her chair.
The petite Cheerio sensed her wills battling within her. She wanted to feel good about telling Finn, and indeed, part of her felt relieved and hopeful. Another part, a part that she was hastily trying to bury deep inside her, was drenched in guilt. She was soaked in the shame that she revealed her friend's weakness and thereby broke her trust. In the end, however, she pushed that guilt into its freshly-dug grave and let herself rejoice that soon Finn might just love her back.
Everything would be all right.
In that light, she told herself that Santana had promised not to say anything, but no soothing words could quell the growing dread Rachel felt rising inside.
Please don't hate me for everything that is happening and going to happen. I have my reasons for each character's actions, I do. Faberry is still totally endgame, it's just not the easiest road to get there.