Quinn walked into her house and closed the door quietly, hoping not to gain her mother's attention.

"Hi, Quinnie!" hollered her mother from the living room.

Damn it.

Quinn exhaled sharply, squared her shoulders and walked into the living room to face her mother.

Judy was sat on the couch flicking through the Tivo channels. She looked up when Quinn walked in and smiled.

"You're back early. How was the party? Wait, wasn't Rachel supposed to be coming round? Are you okay?" July asked, furrowing her eyebrows.

Quinn almost broke down again at the sound of her name. Nevertheless, she held back her tears. They could be released when she was in the comfort of her own room.

"It was fine. She – urm, she wasn't feeling well so I let her go home. I'm fine."

"Oh, the poor dear. I hope she feels better. Have you eaten, Quinnie? There's left over Chinese in the fridge if you want some," said Judy, analysing her daughter carefully.

Judy may not be the greatest mother out there but she could read he daughter like a book. Despite those walls Quinn puts up all the time, Judy was always able to peer through the cracks. She could tell by the puffiness of Quinn's eyes that she had been crying and she could bet it had something to do with a certain brunette girl.

"No. I'm fine thanks, Mom. I'm pretty tired, I'm just gonna head up to bed."

"Okay, then. Are you sure you're okay, sweetie?"

"Yeah, Mom. I'm fine," said Quinn trying to plaster on a fake smile but failing.

Judy still didn't buy her answer but decided to let it go. She knew it was best not to press on with a subject her daughter was uncomfortable with. Quinn was often stubborn and refused to let her in, but she would eventually speak to her when she was ready.

"Okay then. Good night, Quinnie," said Judy, hugging Quinn.

Quinn hugged her back and just let herself feel comfort for a bit in the arms of her mother before letting go.

"Good night, Mom."

Quinn walked up the steps quickly and went to her room, making sure to close the door properly. It was then that she flung herself onto the bed and cried her heart out.

0000000

Rachel was sat on Puck's front porch, with her knees drawn up to her chest. Her heavy sobs had subsided now and they were replaced by shivers and hiccups. She was still trying to process what had happened 40 minutes ago.

Quinn kissed me. I kissed her back.

Rachel tried to fool herself into letting it go but she couldn't. That kiss had been everything and more than she'd ever dreamed of. It was hard to believe that something so sweet, loving and tender had been ruined so easily. Now Quinn was freaked out and would probably never speak to her again. She knows Quinn felt that spark too. As soon as their lips connected, it was there. That little indicator that maybe, just maybe, they really were meant for each other.

And that's what's freaked Quinn out. I should give her a while night to cool off. Quinn tends run when pressured and sometimes you just need to give her enough time to calm down and come back. But how long will that be?

Rachel's thoughts were interrupted when she heard the front door open and close from behind her.

"Hey, there you are. I haven't seen you since Quinn went ape shit and stole you."

"Hi, Noah."

Puck sat next to Rachel on the steps and noticed she was shivering. He carefully draped his arm around her shoulders and she leaned into him, burying her face in his shoulder.

"Do you wanna talk about it?"

"Not really."

"Okay."

They sat like that for about 5 minutes before Rachel spoke up again.

"Noah, I think it's best if we break up," she muttered into his shoulder.

"I know."

"I'm sorry."

"It's Quinn isn't it?"

Rachel sniffed and nodded slowly.

"It's okay, Jew Babe. I see how you look at her. Like she's the only person in the room. I should have known we wouldn't work out properly," Puck said solemnly.

"I see the way she looks at you, too. And how she acts around you" Puck added.

"What do you mean?" Rachel questioned.

"She's always cared about you slightly more than she should. She's Quinn Fabray, Head Bitch in Charge. She doesn't have to be nice to people and most of the time, she isn't. But it's different with you. There's something about you that just puts her at ease and she doesn't have to hide behind those walls she puts up. She can make herself feel vulnerable around you and you can tell that sometimes it scares the hell out of her. Last year was a bitch for her and for me. Those pregnancy hormones doubled her crazy and I always ended up getting most of that crazy being directed towards me. Still don't know why that is."

Rachel snorted. Puck smiled knowing his little comment made her smile somewhat.

"Anyway," Puck continued, "You were always there even when she was screaming for bacon at 3am or complaining that her feet hurt or threatening to cut off my balls. One time she actually went and got scissors that you had to gently pry away from her. You were there whenever she needed it. She controlled her temper around you and has always been so protective over you. Whenever football players or Cheerios are dumb enough to slushie, she is right on their asses and makes sure to make their lives a living hell. You don't think I've haven't been noticing those death glares she's been sending me constantly since we've been going out. She's always loved you, Rach. Whether or not she's realised it, she definitely is and I can't really compete with that."

"Wow, Noah. You really think that?"

"I know it, Babe. So what exactly happened after she dragged you out?"

"She got angry about me kissing you and letting Santana flirt with me. We both yelled and shouted at each other. And she – she kissed me and I kissed her back. She eventually snapped out of it and then she freaked out and drove away, quickly."

"Well, that's a dilemma. I reckon, you just need to give her time to cool off. You know how Quinn is when she gets scared. She'll come to her senses eventually."

"You think?"

"I know so, Babe. And since we're no longer boyfriend and girlfriend, you have been promoted to number one lesbro."

Rachel sniggered and shook her head at the boy.

"And once you and your lady make up, I get to watch right?" Puck said, raising his eyebrows suggestively.

Rachel let out a full hearted laugh and hit his chest.

"No. But thank you, Noah. You're an awesome friend," Rachel said burying her face back into his shoulder and wrapping her arm around his waist.

Puck kissed the top of her head and smiled down at her.

"No problem, Babe. Us hot Jews gotta stick together."

00000

It had been over a week and Quinn and Rachel still hadn't spoken. Rachel had given it two days before she started calling and texting Quinn. Quinn effectively dodged all her calls and ignored her texts. Eventually, Quinn just ended up leaving her phone off most of the time. She didn't want to have to see the messages Rachel sent.

She dodged Rachel in school as well. She ended up sitting next to Santana or a completely random person in classes in which she sat next to Rachel and quickly left classes when the bell rung to avoid having to talk to Rachel.

She knew she was being a coward about this but she really didn't want to have to face Rachel yet. She wasn't ready.

00000

Quinn was getting her books out of her locker when she felt a pair of eyes on her. She turned around and saw the girl she had been avoiding for the past week staring at her from across the hallway. This was the first time the two had properly made eye contact since Puck's party. And Quinn wished she hadn't turned around.

The brunette looked completely and utter...broken. She had bags under her eyes and they were puffy. Her normally tan skin was looking pale due to lack of sleep. Her posture wasn't as straight as it normally was and her hair looked flat and not as glossy and luscious as normal. Her facial expression was a mixture of hurt, guilt and longing. Quinn tried to look away but she couldn't.

What have I done to her?

Then again, Quinn didn't look spectacular either. She had been plagued with nightmares for the last several nights. All involving Rachel. Her eyes were also looking tired and her skin was paler than normal. She was been behind on her homework, lagging in Cheerios practice, losing focus in class and had barely been paying attention in Glee Club. Sue had been constantly asking if she was pregnant again and threatened to get her thrown off the team if she didn't get her shit together.

At that moment, Puck walked up to Rachel and wrapped an arm around her shoulder and she wrapped her arm around his waist and leaned into him. He kissed the top oh her head with a frown on his face. He followed Rachel's line of sight to see who she was looking at. He grimaced at Quinn and led Rachel off to her next class.

She can't still be with that asshole! Wait, I can't seriously be getting jealous again. He probably treats her better than I've been. Who am I kidding? Of course he has. She needs someone like him right now.

Quinn sighed, shutting her locker and walked off to Calculus.

0000

When Quinn got home, she decided to turn on her phone for the first time in two days. After reading the first 4 of Rachel's messages, she couldn't bear to look anymore.

She decided that she would just send one text to Rachel to get her off her back. She couldn't talk to her right now. Not yet.

0000

Rachel's phone buzzed and she was hesitant to pick it up. However when she saw the name on the top of her phone, she opened the text quickly.

FROM QUINN:

"I can't."

A/N: I'm back! Sorry it's been a while. Saying I've been busy would be a lie, I've just been feeling slightly lazy the past couple of days. Womb rage doesn't go well with writing. (slightly TMI)

I'm really sorry about leaving things off like that, please don't hate me. I will get back into my mojo and try and update more frequently. It's Dianna Agron's 26th Birthday today so I felt motivated to write.

Either next chapter or the chapter afterwards is going to be the last one so stay tuned. Once this story is done I'll have a few one shots coming out and a new story hopefully in the next couple of weeks. If you like this story, then stick around when it's done. Thanks, guys!

-Seena