20 MINUTES LATER...
They sat across each other, both pair of eyes cast downward staring at their respected cups of coffee. No one had spoken since the confession other than when Rachel suggested coffee at a little shop 4 blocks from Quinn's job, for privacy. Quinn was stoic on the outside. however; on the inside she was beside her self. she couldn't believe what had just happened. "what is wrong with me? it's like I have uncontrollable word vomit every time she's near me." she thought.
Quinn takes a deep breath and a chance glance at Rachel. she wonders what the brunette must think of her now. if she even considers her a friend after this or worse Rachel pities her. "poor Quinn living like a hobo with a waitress job like every other lima loser that tortured me." Rachel must be laughing her tail off at how the perfect-can't-do-any-wrong Quinn Fabray is a loser. she got out of lima but is still and forever will be a loser. Quinn Fabray is a nobody. she wonders how soon will this news hit lima.
Rachel is nervous and upset with herself. "SEE RACHEL!" she berates herself in her thoughts. "THIS IS WHAT YOU GET! IF YOU HADN'T COME WHEN SHE SPECIFICALLY TOLD YOU THAT YOU CAN'T BE FRIENDS, THIS WOULD NOT HAVE HAPPENED! YOU OBVIOUSLY PUSHED TOO HARD AND THE WOMAN HAD A MENTAL BREAK DOWN BECAUSE OF YOU! she shakes her head at herself. "just apologize to Quinn for being selfish and walk away. because every relationship you come across you ruin. don't make this worse than it already is." she thinks than sighs and finally looks up with pressure building behind her eyes. she takes a second to admire the beauty before her. she can't believe she has to say goodbye to the one person who re-ignited the fire in her soul.
"I would like to apologize Quinn." the blondes head snaps up at the voice and confusion immediately takes over her features. "I know you side that we live in 2 different worlds but I just thought if we talked threw things instead of jumping the gun. we could have an amazing friendship. I figured it could work out this time. we're not in high school any more, right? so, why couldn't we work as friends."
Rachel gets lost in her thoughts and words. everything she's been feeling and thought about comes pouring out in one go. "I didn't think it would be difficult because we're adults. all the high school drama gets left behind when you graduate, right? at least that's how I feel. I just couldn't let you walk out of my life again, that's why I came today. to speak to you and plead my case, my thoughts on every thing. after 6 years apart we still have amazing chemistry. it is so easy to fall into step with you. I don't know why but it is. I just feel so stupid for invading your life and privacy I didn't mean to upset you and I am truly sorry. I'll leave you alone. I just want to thank you for giving me a reason to smile again. I'm sorry I'll go now." she stands and grabs her things, puts her coat on and smiles a sad smile at the blonde with a low "good bye, Quinn." and walks out into the cold night.
Quinn is sitting with her mouth open as the brunette walks away. "did that really just happen?" she thinks to her self. "OH MY GOD! WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING GO AFTER HER YOU IDIOT!" she screams at her self in thought. the blonde scrambles to her feet leaving every thing she owns at the table. she trips twice before she makes it to the door. bumping into entering customers.
she sees the brunette getting into a taxi. the brunette has tears in her eyes but she refuses to let them fall. she'll wait til she gets home and sob into a bottle of red wine while listening to Barbra. she goes to shut the door when a hand stops her. an out of breath stunning blonde stares down at her and with a small smile says "you didn't let me give you my apology. now what kind of friend would you be if I didn't get my say in it. the brunette chuckles with tears and steps out of the cab. engulfing the blonde in a tight hug. whispering apologizes to each other. they walk back inside and take a sit.
"so, I think I owe you an explanation." the blonde says
"you don't owe me any thing, Quinn."
Quinn shakes her head. "I want you to know. If you and I are going to be friends. we need to be honest with each other. so, I'll start. I have a 6 year old daughter. her name is Beth. she is smart, funny and very talented. she's the light of my life. she was not a mistake, an accident yes, because I didn't plan her but she will never be a mistake to me. If you want to continue our friendship. you have to understand that I just can't up and go out to parties at all hours of the night or spontaneous lunch or dinner requests. because I can't just spend money like it's nothing. because there's no promise I'll make it back in tips the next day.
I have to penny pinch severely. I also have a schedule to keep as far as Beth goes. I'm lucky enough that Marisol babysits for me sometimes. if not we would be homeless, because I wouldn't be able to work. I need to work. I need you to know that being friends with me would be hard because I work 7 days a week and I'm cranky and exhausted most of the time and when I spend time with my daughter that's our time together and no one else's. so, tell me if that's to much for you. because I rather us both understand that now rather than it hurting us both later." the blonde was nervous Rachel would end there friendship there because it was too much.
the brunette stared at the Quinn for 5 silent seconds before she burst into laughter. the blonde was shocked for a second before she too starting giggling and couldn't understand why. shaking her head in laughter Rachel replied. "Are you kidding me? why would I have a problem with any of that? if any thing the whole working to much should be my speech. not now of course, because currently I'm on hiatus for some me time but honestly you must not remember who I am at all. I absolutely understand the importance of every thing and guess what? I still want to be your friend. I've wanted to be your friend since we were kids. I know it doesn't seem like I understand the severity of it but I do and I won't ever request an impromptu lunch ever again. we could schedule it in advance and you can set me a time schedule when I'm allowed to contact you. see no problem." the brunette said with a smile.
Quinn was bursting with happiness. "thank you for understanding. It will be nice to have an adult to talk to around and I promise I won't bring Beth to our lun-" she was cut off by the brunette.
"excuse me, but I was under the impression that we were friends. which if I'm correct entails babysitting duties and emergency school pick ups with a healthy dose of spoiling. I know you were not going to say that I needn't worry about being bothered with the presence of whom I'm sure is to be one of the most beautiful little girls to ever come from Fabray genes? because if so, I am highly insulted for my self and as well as miss Beth. whom is not here to defend her self." Rachel says in such a serious tone that, Quinn couldn't tell if she really offended the brunette.
Quinn didn't know whether to take the brunette serious or not. "I'm sorry?" the brunette was still serious. "I just know that most single people hate when you bring your kids along. I lost a lot of friends because I had Beth with me where ever I went."
The brunette shook her head slowly in disapproval. "your wrong it was there loss, not yours."
the blonde blushed at that and felt so good to hear some one say that she was to good for some else rather than the other way around, for once. people always looked down on her when she first gave birth to Beth and called her a whore for being a single teenage mother. she looked at Rachel to thank her but closed her mouth, the brunette looked uneasy for a moment. "Rachel, what's wrong?"
the brunette took a deep breath and the blonde prepared herself for the worse. "I would like to ask you something but you don't have to answer if it's too personal, okay?" the blonde nodded. "what about Beth's father does he help you at all or pays child support?"
Quinn took a deep breath because that was such a loaded question. " well, when I found out I was pregnant. I knew immediately what I had to do." she chuckled a little bit shaking her head with a fond smile at Rachel. "you were there actually when I found out."
the brunettes eyes bulged out of her head. " um.. Quinn, I think I would remember something like that." the brunette replied.
Quinn laughed. "well, you didn't know that I had just found out. do you remember the last day we spoke when I yelled at you in the girls bathroom?" she asked, the brunette nodded. "you walked in just after I threw the pregnancy test across the room. I was so angry that I took my frustration out on you and you said that you knew there was something that caused me to be sad and you wouldn't hold it against me." the blonde starting to tear up just thinking about it. "did you mean it? did you really forgive me?" the brunette nodded sadly. Quinn smiled and said thank you, than continued. "immediately after that I went to find him he was in the hall way by the gym..."
FLASH BACK:
Quinn was nervous. she walk up behind him and tapped him lightly on the shoulder, he turned around and smirked. she spoke low "hey, can we talk?" he nodded.
"so what's up." he asked. she looked at him and with all the courage she could muster said the words that she knew would destroy both there lives. "I'm pregnant." his head whip around so fast she thought it might break.
"no, shit?" she nodded and bowed her head in shame.
"damn, I'm sorry I wish I knew what to say. I don't know how to handle this kind of stuff. this has got to be a mistake. did you take a test?" she nodded. "look I'm sorry this happened and I won't tell anyone I swear. though I do think a chick would handle this better." Quinn eyes filled with tears and a small sob escaped her lips. his eyes widened in shock because for the first time ever the HBIC of McKinley was crying in public no less.
"oh shit, Q. no don't cry." he looks around in a panic. "look I can't do this I'm not Kurt or any other girl for that matter. jus-" he's cut off by Quinn second sob.
"what are we goi-" she's interrupted by words she didn't think she would hear.
"HOLY SHIT! IS THAT KAREN AVERY?! DAMN... I heard she just graduated college and it sure as hell did her well" he glances back at Quinn with an excited look in his eyes. "look I'm sorry I can't do this. I won't tell or anything it'll be our secret but that is Karen Avery, dude. you know Gabrielle Avery's big sister. she was a senior when I was a freshman and I made a vow to my self that if I ever had the chance to see her again, I would tap it. so, right now duty calls. he taps her on the shoulder with one last sorry and runs off to Karen Avery as if Quinn never existed. she stares after him in shock and tears because she couldn't believe that the father to her baby was the man-child/whore who just dropped all the responsibility on her. she almost broke than and there but remembered who she was. she squared her shoulders, wiped her tears and set her jawed. with grace and poise strutted down the hallway in true Fabray fashion. the students and in turn their parents parted like the red sea one last time for the beautiful ice Queen of McKinley...
END OF FLASH BACK:
"Noah?! her father is Noah Puckerman? please tell me your joking, Quinn?! the man child?! the way he handle it speaks for it's self and please remind me to put it in my day planner to castrate him for what he did to you and Beth! that neglectful little- ugh! I can not believe this! Noah?! she looks at Quinn as if to question if she heard her correctly. "I'm seriously questioning your mental stability, right now, Quinn. what were you thinking?!"
the blond laughs "exactly I wasn't"
Rachel shakes her head with a soft smile than asks. "do want to get out of here?"
the blonde nods "definitely." they leave the café and walk the streets of New York getting re-acquainted. it's already past 6 and Quinn killed about 3 hours with everything that transpired and now has 2 hours before she has to pick up Beth. they stop in front of a building were a Chinese restaurant use to be. her apartment is above it. "well, this is me." the blonde says with a little embarrassment.
"I've always wanted to live above a restaurant when I first moved here. I always thought it had the perfect dramatic affect of a starving artist trying to make into the big leagues." Rachel says looking up at the windows, seriously.
the blonde chuckles with shake of her head looking up at her apartment windows with Rachel. "only you would find it poetic to live in a dump. Anyway, I would invite you up but I have to go and pick up Beth but if your free tomorrow. I'd like to get lunch, if you want of course. we could make up for the lunch break I ruined." she joked.
the brunette smiled. "I would love to. I'll stop by at the same time?" the blonde nodded. " have a good night, Quinn." the brunette said as she waved a cab down.
"you too, Rachel. get home safe." the brunette waved threw the window before the taxi pulled off. Quinn sighed happily. she finally had a friend. it definitely helped that said friend was Rachel Berry.
Rachel rode the taxi back to the diner to get her car. After in climbing, buckling up and starting the car. she sat and thought about every thing and especially Noah Puckerman. she wanted to murder him for not taking responsibility for his actions. if she were in his shoes. she would have been over joyed. especially since it was Quinn Fabray.
who wouldn't want Quinn she's perfect. she decided that since Noah obviously wouldn't be helping any time soon, than she would. she knows the blonde wouldn't take any money but maybe she could lighten her load by giving a helping hand, when needed than gradually help financially. she knew the task she set for herself will run her over in exhaustion. Especially, with her own personally hell she's dealing with but this was Quinn for goodness sake how could she not be there for the woman who had her heart and with that last thought she drove home.