"You're not alone
together we stand
I'll be by your side
you know I'll take your hand."
Centered on Throwdown.
As I closed my locker, I was bombarded by creepiest person on this Earth, known to others as Jacob Ben Israel, once again. I tried my best to look intimidating and held in my shouts for Quinn to help.
"The independent polling company in my Dockers has determined you're the hottest girl in this school," I didn't understand half of that, but I knew that I definitely wasn't the hottest girl in school; that title belonged to Quinn.
"Ew."
"Have you been reading my blog?" Yes, just to make sure there were no rumors going around about Quinn and me.
"Of course not, you're a gossipmonger and your blog is nothing but trash and lies, many of them about me." Thankfully my sexuality wasn't something that had been discussed on there yet; probably because he still had some insane hope that he had a chance with me.
"Well you'll be happy to know the one I'm working on right now has nothing to do with you or your rumored lust for Jew-fros." Then why was he telling me about it? "It's about Quinn Fabray." Shit. Did he know something? Did he find out she comes to my house every day? Did he somehow see the time we made out in the choir room on top of the piano? Quinn was right, I knew I shouldn't have suggested that. It was too public for comfort but I insisted. "Word on the street is she's in trouble." He mimed rubbing his stomach and my fears changed courses completely. He had found out about her pregnancy.
"Where did you hear that?" I questioned fiercely. It was probably Kurt. He always was one for gossip.
"Are you denying it?" he eagerly asked.
"Yes," I confirmed, walking away to go find Quinn.
"Because the same birdie told me you're heartbroken Finn Hudson didn't choose you to carry his litter." Okay that was weird. But I couldn't let it just sit. He couldn't just tell the world Quinn's secret. It would destroy her.
I spun around and marched back up to him. "What is it gonna take for you to not run the story?" I had to protect Quinn no matter what.
"Are you serious?"
"Yes. He seriously suggested we name her 'Drizzle'," I confirmed, happy that my misfortune could at least bring about that Rachel Berry smile I love so much.
She giggled and fell back into the pillows on her bed. "That sounds like Finn."
"You know what else he told me?" I crawled up her bed so I could lay beside her.
"What?" she questioned, turning to her side so she could look at me.
"He told me about how you gave a pair of your panties to that freak Jacob because he was threatening to run a story about me being pregnant," I replied.
"Well they weren't actually mine."
"Then whose were they?"
"Yours."
"WHAT?"
"Just kidding! I bought them at the store. But still." She hid her face in the pillows. "It's so embarrassing! He thinks they're mine and there's no telling what he's doing with them."
"Hey," I murmured, and she peeked out at me. "I'm so thankful to have someone like you in my life. No one else would've done that for me."
"That still doesn't make it any less embarrassing," she stated, once again taking up refuge in the pillows.
"Would it help if I made sure he was slushied every day from now on?" I asked, trying to lure her back out.
She sighed. "Not really."
"Oh, and I told Finn to stay away from you," I said nonchalantly, hoping to get a rise from her.
Not only did she jump up, but she also yelled, "Quinn!" before throwing a pillow at me.
I simply caught the pillow and hugged it to me. It smelled like her.
"You can't do that! It's against the rules of the bet!" she cried.
"Since when are there rules?" I questioned, smirking.
"Since I decided we need them," she replied.
I laughed. "No, I don't think so, Rach."
"Why not?" she pouted. She knew she could get her way when she pouted, but I wasn't giving in this time.
"Because all's fair in love and war," I grinned. "Which means no rules." She began to protest, but I cut her off with a kiss.
"Rachel!" called one of her dads. We both jumped apart, even though he was clearly downstairs. "Will Quinn be staying for dinner this time?"
"How about it?" she asked hopefully. "Finally staying?"
"You know I can't," I reminded her. Dinners were kind of mandatory at the Fabray household.
"No daddy!" Rachel called back and then turned to me. "You're still staying with me Friday, though, right?"
"Yeah of course," I replied. My parents thought I was staying at Santana's.
It's not that they didn't like Rachel; they just didn't approve of her dads. That's why Rachel rarely came to my house. Thank goodness each time she came over, my mom was the only one home. If my father caught her there… I would hate to think what would happen. Mom was gracious enough to never mention Rachel's visits to him.
"But I probably should get going," I said standing up.
She frowned at this, and then sunk back into her pillows. "Fine. Leave me here to die."
I rolled my eyes. She always had to be dramatic when it was time for me to go. "I'll see you tomorrow, Rach."
"Not if I'm dead," she singsonged.
"I'll take my chances," I replied, turning to walk out her door. Before I could exit her room, though, I was spun around and trapped in a kiss before I even knew what was happening.
I swear Rachel Berry was a ninja in a past life.
Don't stare at Quinn don't stare at Quinn don't stare at Quinn. This was all I thought about the entire time we sang No Air in Glee. There were only five of us left after Coach Sylvester took all the minorities, so it was a lot easier for one of them to catch me singing to her. I had to concentrate on singing to Finn and Finn alone. But then Finn walked around behind Quinn and I couldn't help but look at her. She, thankfully, glanced away quickly so that I couldn't get caught up in her eyes. If I had, I might have stopped singing entirely and that wouldn't have been good.
Then I was put into the position where I was singing beside her and it was even worse. I could feel her glance my way, wondering what I was thinking to get that close to her, but I had no choice. Thankfully, Finn and I were due to walk up in a few seconds so I didn't have long beside her. But then she was in between the two of us. The torture was never-ending.
At last, the number was over. I had survived without throwing too many longing glances at Quinn. Then she was pushing her way between us, as if the song had somehow brought Finn and I closer together and she was there to stop it. I didn't even think about Finn the entire time, and I was supposed to be singing to him! She started talking about something with Mr Schue about swaying in the background, but I couldn't really hear anything as I was still trying my best not to look at her.
She was not allowed to seduce Finn by song in front of me. I wouldn't have it. The person I was pretending to be wouldn't stand for it either. Finn was my boyfriend, and she wasn't just going to do that.
I knew what I had to do, so I cornered her in the hall the next day.
"Listen here Treasure Trail," I said after slamming her locker. I could just hear her now, commenting on my new stupid nickname for her. Better stupid than accurate. I didn't want to actually hurt her feelings. "We're about to have a smack-down."
She held up her hands in defense. "I don't want to have a confrontation." We hadn't discussed this beforehand, so I guess she wasn't prepared. That, or her character wasn't feeling very confrontational. Either way, I couldn't just back down now. Surely she knew that?
She tried to walk away, but I grabbed her wrist and twirled her back around to face me. "Don't play stupid with me, Stubbles." Oh hey, I was full of nicknames. "I'm having Finn's baby, and you need to back off. I'm asking you as nicely as I possibly can." In public. Those were the key words I left out. If we were alone, I would just kiss her senseless until she completely forgot about Finn Hudson. "Leave him alone."
"You're right," she nodded. Wait what? "I've helped you, not because it's the right thing to do, but because I had romantic ulterior motives." Yeah okay. Romantic ulterior motives with me, maybe. "But just so we're clear, you're the one who's cheating." Woah. She was actually throwing truths at me. Guess I should've went over this with her beforehand because I had no idea where to go with this, but I couldn't just walk away and neither could she; she wasn't allowed to have the final word.
"Excuse me?" I managed to get out before she was completely gone. I hurried to catch up with her.
"I have on good authority that you're Sue Sylvester's mole," Yeah, my authority. "And you can deny it all you want, but I know it's true."
"I have no idea what you're talking about." Honestly, I didn't. She kept switching between truth and acting, and I had no idea how to respond to her.
"Sue's not on your side, Quinn. She's not on anyone's but her own. Can you imagine what she's gonna do when she finds out about your situation? She'll probably try to rip off your uniform with her bare hands." Wait was Rachel saying she wanted to rip off my uniform with her bare hands? I had stopped listening out of confusion. Ugh we were never doing an unscripted fight again. "Every time you whisper in her ear, you empower her to do more damage to the glee club. And right now, Glee Club is all you have. And if I were you, I'd recognize who my true friends are. And I'd practice a little bit more, because you obviously have a lot you need to express."
"Oh you have no idea," I replied, marching off because I had no clue on what else to say.
Once I reached the end of the hallway, I sent off a quick text to Rachel because I had a sudden idea.
Be in the bleachers for Cheerios practice this afternoon and you'll see how much I need to express.
I refuse to make out under the bleachers, Quinn. By the way, you might want to work on your acting. I noticed I tripped you up a couple times.
I decided to ignore the jab at my acting.
Trust me on this. You won't wanna miss it ;)
I don't think I'll ever get over how amazing Quinn looks in a cheerleading outfit. At first I thought that was why she asked me to come; to remind me. But then she started singing You Keep Me Hangin' On. Quinn singing and performing an elaborate cheer number… It was hot.
Though what did she mean by singing that song?
When it was over and the field had cleared, she ran to sit with me. I hadn't been able to move out of shock.
"So," she huffed when she got near me. "What'd you think?"
"You want me out of your life?" I questioned.
"What?" she asked, confused. "No. Of course not. Why would you think that?"
"The song," I stated.
"Oh. That. Coach wants us to have a new edge for competition and I had to pick the song. I thought it went along with our acting well is all," she replied, waving it off. "In my mind it was a lot better. But it's not like I could just sing a love song to you."
"And why not?" I pouted.
"Rachel you know why."
"Yeah, but you don't have to remind me."
"Sorry," she muttered, looking down at her hands.
"But hey, you were really hot in that number," I grinned at her when she looked back up at me.
"Hot enough that you'll make out under the bleachers with me?" she asked hopefully.
"Don't you have practice?" I reminded her.
She groaned and stood up. "One of these days, Berry."
"In your dreams, Fabray!" I called after her as she ran down the bleachers.
"Now everybody knows, including me." The second Coach Sylvester said those words, I froze.
Everything I had worked for was vanishing. I wanted nothing more than to be back in the bleachers joking with Rachel, or the auditorium, or well, anywhere but there.
My head was pounding and I couldn't hear anything but a roaring in my ears. That's when I remembered that I had to breathe. Just breathe, Q. Concentrate on breathing. Make it through this and you can curl up with Rachel and break down later. Breathe.
Everything after that was just a blur for me. My mind was on one track: just make it through the day.
So when I got in my car after school with every intent of skipping Cheerios practice in favor of going to Rachel's house, I was surprised to find her there in the passenger's seat.
"Is my car really that easy to break into?" I asked, trying my best not to crumple and break down.
"You need to come to the auditorium," she stated, opening the door and coming around to help me out.
"I know you're trying to help, but I would really just like to go watch Mary Poppins on your couch," I pleaded.
"We will after this," she said, giving me a weak smile. She offered her hand and I took it and let her lead me back toward the school. "Glee's prepared a number to sing."
"I really don't feel like singing, Rach," I said, though I continued to follow her.
"You don't have to sing, just sway in the background like you normally do," she replied with a smirk.
"Will you stay by me?" I questioned. I didn't really think I could get up on the stage without her beside me. "And sing to me?"
"I…" she hesitated. She was probably working through the scenarios in her head, seeing if it would cause any suspicions. At the moment, I didn't care if they knew. I was ready to give up the act then and there. Everything was falling to pieces anyway. "Of course I will, Quinn. Anything you want."
Getting through the song was tough. Quinn was emotionally unstable and wanted me by her at all times, but I couldn't do that. She wasn't thinking clearly at the moment, but I knew if we blew our whole enemy act we had going, she would be pissed come a later day. So I did the best I could to both satisfy her and still make it look like I was interested in Finn not her.
Afterwards, I drove us in her car to my house. She was in no condition to drive.
Once home, I guided her up the drive and into the house, straight to our living room couch.
"Mary Poppins?" I asked, knowing that was probably still what she wanted to watch. She nodded and I set to preparing the movie.
I cuddled up with her once I had gotten it started. She needed someone to hold her, and I would always be there. Quinn took one of my hands in hers and held on for dear life.
"Quinn, sweetie, it'll be okay," I whispered. "Though it won't if you cut off the circulation to my hand."
At this she gave a watery chuckle and loosened her grip a bit. With my free hand, I ran my fingers through her hair. She loved it when I did that, so I didn't stop.
Eventually, she put her head on my shoulder and fell asleep. As gently as I could, I transferred her off of me and onto the couch. Quinn would want cookies, and since neither of my fathers were home, it was my duty to make them.
Thank goodness this all took place on Friday so she would be able to stay with me. There was no way I was letting her go home in her condition (also my dads weren't home until Saturday night and I was afraid). It wasn't going to be a fun night like I had originally planned, but there was nothing I could do about that.
Just as I was putting the cookies in the oven, I heard a cry, followed by Quinn calling out my name. I hurried to find she had woken up alone, which she hated.
I sat back down on the couch and wrapped her in my arms. "It's alright. I'm here," I assured her.
"Why did you go?" she whimpered into my collarbone.
"So I could make some of your favorite cookies filled with love," I replied, smiling at her when she looked up at the mention of cookies.
"The burnt ones?" she whispered.
"One time, Quinn Fabray! One time!" I cried, trying to get a laugh out of her. I got a smile.
"That was one time too many, dear," she stated with a smirk.
"There's going to be a second time if you don't let me get up and go check on them." She immediately scrabbled away from me. I laughed at how childlike she was, then took her hand and pulled her up with me. "Come on."
After checking on the cookies which were, thankfully, not burnt, I turned around to find Quinn. She was situated at the bar, staring at me with a dopey grin. "What?"
"You sang a song to me," she stated.
"Quinn, I've sang quite a few songs to you. So many, in fact, that I'm sure you're sick of them by now," I replied, not understanding what exactly the big deal was.
"I could never be sick of your singing," she said, shaking her head. "But you sang to me in Glee today."
"Yes, I did," I confirmed. "Are you okay with everything that went down?"
"No. Finn kept getting in the way," she pouted. She was absolutely adorable when she pouted.
"It was probably a good thing he did. I wanted so much to kiss the tears off your face, and I'm sure the others wouldn't have overlooked that," I explained, trying my best to keep the blush in my cheeks from showing up.
"I don't know what I'd do without you, Rach," she said, getting up and coming over to kiss me.
"You're just saying that because I made you cookies," I murmured when we broke apart.
She smiled at me. "And don't you forget it."
"Hey!" I cried, playfully shoving her away. She chuckled, and I spun around in an attempt to be mad at her but actually I meant to check the cookies.
"Are they ready yet?" she questioned.
"Please try to wait for them to cool a bit," I answered, pulling the tray out. "I'm not kissing your fingers should you burn them again."
"Yes you will," she singsonged. Of course I would. I would do anything to have her not revert back to the hurt girl she was just a couple hours ago. I had no idea if she just slept the sadness off or hid it away, but as long as she was happy, then everything was right in the world.
Because if she was happy, then so was I.
But it wasn't always going to be that simple.
Song: Keep Holding On- Avril Lavigne
A/N: Much longer chapter this week! Hope you enjoyed and it wasn't too jumpy. I think I'm going to start adding a couple lines from the song that the chapter titles are based off of at the beginning of every chapter. I'll go back and put them in the other chapters over the course of this week when I have time.
Also, I have lots of ideas and the plot's pretty much mapped out, but I was wondering if any of you have any ideas for this story? What are your predictions for what's going to happen? I want to know what you guys think!
