As Quinn approached her front door she felt uneasy. What where her parents going to say? Surely they must have noticed her absence and she had no idea what she was going to tell them. She tentatively tried the door handle and a small bud of relief flushed through her as she discovered it was locked. She silently thanked every God she could name as she dug her keys out of her pocket, twisting them in the lock. Quinn smiled to herself as the front door eased open with a little push, and the familiar smell of home hit her square on in the face.

The blonde stepped through and shut the door behind her. "Mom, Dad?" Quinn called out. She didn't expect a reply, she was simply clarifying that she was alone. She grinned as she realised she was.

She trudged to the kitchen, desperately thirsty. She poured herself some water and then leant against the island, not realising how dehydrated she was until could liquid pass her lips. Quinn stopped mid-gulp when she spotted a folded note on the granite worktop of the island. It was titled: 'Quinn'. She cocked an eyebrow curiously as she recognised the writing to be her mothers. She unfolded the note and began to read.

Quinnie, we had to go to your Aunt Kat's on short notice, there's been an accident but everything's going to be okay, don't worry. We would have asked you to come but you're currently out and we can't wait. I've left some money for the weekend, I'll ring you tonight. Remember to take your medication and you have an appointment with Dr Shepard on Tuesday, please show up this time! See you Monday. Love Mom and Dad xxx

Quinn sighed and rolled her eyes at the note. She certainly wouldn't be taking that medication any longer; it wasn't like she needed to anyway. All it did was stop her from seeing ghosts. Any other time she'd gulp a thousand down if it meant she could actually go somewhere without worrying who's dead and who's alive, but seeing as though Rachel was a ghost, she felt no desire to do so. As for her appointment, she knew she'd have to go to this one or her dad would probably pop a blood vessel with anger. She had skipped her second appointment on Thursday which had resulted in a two hour argument with her father about the value of time and money, to which Quinn had rolled her eyes at and back-chatted all the way through. She hated how shallow and materialistic her family could be. The Fabrays were all about appearances. As long as the rest of the world regarded them highly, they could afford to sweep things under the rug or throw money at problems until they seemingly disappeared.

An alarm bell suddenly sounded in Quinn's head as she realised that the note must have been written yesterday. There's no way that they would have gone today if she didn't come home last night. Her parents were selfish and painfully ignorant towards their daughter but they'd at least notice if she didn't return home. She swallowed thickly. Her mom had probably tried ringing her broken cell phone a dozen times and was more than likely out of her mind with worry or worse yet- on her way back.

Just as the thought had crossed her mind, the house phone's generic ring jolted her back to reality. She ran into the living room and scooped the phone off of its charger, hurryingly pressing the green button to answer.

"Hello?" She asked into the plastic object.

"Quinn? Quinn is that you?" Her mother's worried voice sounded. Quinn shuddered at the eerie coincidence.

"Yeah mom, I-"

"Oh thank God! Where have you been? I can't get through on your cell and I've rung the house phone at least fifty times in the past twelve hours!" Judy's worried tone had started to let anger seep through, causing Quinn to think fast on her feet.

"I uh, dropped my cell in some water, so it won't work," the blonde lied. "And I never answer the house phone, it's never for me. Sorry mom, I guess I wasn't thinking, I've been so tired recently. I think it's a side effect of the meds." Quinn nodded to herself at what she thought was a pretty decent lie. Everything she said was plausible and she even threw the bit about her medication in there for good measure, making her mother think that she was still actually taking them.

Judy sighed, obviously frustrated but relieved at the same time. "That was an expensive phone Quinn!" Judy scolded.

"I know, I'm sorry," she mumbled weakly, slightly hurt at how fast the topic of her safety had changed. "I'll buy a cheap replacement today, but just ring the house phone if you need me until then. I promise I'll answer."

Judy seemed satisfied at her daughter's response as she muttered an 'OK'. Quinn asked about her Aunt and found out that she had suffered a minor heart attack but to her relief, learnt that she was recovering fast in the hospital.

"Well, I need to get going. We're at Kat's house with Uncle Geoff at the moment but we're about the leave for the hospital. I'll ring you tonight and in the morning. Remember to take your pills Quinnie! I'll see you Monday okay?"

"Yes mom."

"Love you honey, see you soon."

"Love you t-" the phone cut off before Quinn could finish her sentence and the sound of the dead line mocked her. Ouch. No matter how used to her parent's coldness she was by now, it always still stung.

Quinn ran a hand through her matted hair and winced when her fingers became entangled in the golden mess, tugging painfully at her scalp. She decided it'd be a good idea to get cleaned up and throw away her bloody clothes. Her parents would freak out if they found them and she knew she was going to have a hard enough time explaining how her arm came to be stitched up, but that lie could wait until Monday.

Quinn finished tossing her ruined clothes in a black bag, ready for the trash and daintily tested the temperature of the bath water with her toe. She decided a bath would be better than a shower, it'd probably relieve some of the aches in her body that felt as though she'd gone ten rounds in a boxing ring with Tyson.

Nearly an hour later, the water was now only slightly warm and as Quinn regarded her pruned skin she thought it would be a good time to get out, get dressed and go to the mall to buy a new cell phone so her mother would at least have some peace of mind. The pain in her body had been elevated slightly and she felt better after washing the blood, dirt and grime out of her hair and off of her skin. The only visual reminder of last night was the angry-red stitched wound on her forearm. Carefully, she bandaged it back up from the fresh roll of dressing that Diego had given her. She'd have to get that man a thank you gift at the very least. He fixed her up for free and didn't even probe too much into what had happened. She liked that he obviously valued privacy.

The blonde tugged on a warm, navy coat before grabbing her keys and leaving the house. The air was colder than it was that morning and the frost bit at her lungs, causing her to cough sharply. She thanked the heavens that her car had finally been brought over and thanked the GPS system even more as she had no idea where Lima mall was.

After a few wrong turns and frustrated yelling at the silly woman navigating the GPS, Quinn came to a halt in rectangular marked spot in Lima mall's parking-lot. She unbuckled her seatbelt, made sure she had her keys and her money then jumped out of the little red car. She eyed the building, noting that it was nowhere near as big or as modern as some of the malls that she'd seen in California, but she figured it'd have what she needed.

The inside was filled with busy people who were darting in and out of various stores that were aligned to each side of a vast walking space. She hauled her bag even further up on her shoulder as she set off in search of a phone shop, surveying the name and the insides of every place she passed.

Finally, she found one. She cocked an eyebrow at the name of the small shop. "Puck's Phones". To her, it sounded that a cheesy place that wouldn't hesitate to rip you off in any way possible but she needed a new cell and this had been the only place she'd seen that sold them. She sighed and started towards the open door, desperately trying to maintain a positive attitude towards the place.

Inside, she spotted a middle aged woman with curled dark hair talking to an elderly man who held up a Blackberry. The woman's eyes shot up as Quinn entered and she muttered something to the man before calling, "Noah? Can you please take care of this customer? I'm busy at the moment."

"Yeah, sure," came a gruff answering call of a teenage boy who stepped out from the back.

Quinn eyed the boy curiously. He must have been her age at least, and Quinn guessed he was a sports player from his muscular build, but what really caught her eye was the boy's outrageous Mohawk striding across the top of his head all the way down to the nape of his neck. The boy caught her eye and shot her a cheeky grin as he closed the distance between them.

"Hi," Quinn said simply.

"Hi yourself," the boy replied, looking her up and down. Was he checking her out? "How can I help you today?"

"Um, I just wanted a cheap phone, y'know something that will make calls and send texts?"

Noah scratched his head in thought then scuffled to one of the display shelves and pointed at a simple, small Nokia phone. "How about this? It's only $20. It's no Iphone but it'll do the basics."

Quinn really wasn't fussed. She hardly ever used a phone unless it to contact family, after all, she'd grown up with no friends to give her their numbers. Even now she only had Santana and Brittany's number saved… well she did until her phone was smashed against a wall by a pissed off spirit.

She smiled at the boy who beamed when she said, "Sounds perfect. I'll take it, thanks."

Behind the counter he took her money and placed a boxed phone in a bag for her. "Thanks," Quinn said as he handed it to her. When he didn't respond, she began to turn.

"I'm Puck, by the way," he said to her back, causing her to face him with a frown.

"Didn't that woman call you Noah?"

"That's my first name, but everyone knows me by Puck. It's short for Puckerman- my last name," the mohawked boy explained as he leant forwards on the counter.

Quinn raised an eyebrow. "Ah," she said and gave a half smile.

"And you are?"

"Quinn," she said, not wanting to really encourage the guy but she didn't want to seem rude either.

"Hold on, I think I know you…"

Oh God.

"You go to McKinley High right?" He asked.

Quinn licked her lips nervously and gulped, anticipating what he was about the say. Did everyone in this freaking town know her because of the cafeteria incident? She nodded meekly, failing to meet the boy's eyes out of embarrassment.

"You're the new girl aren't you? The one that-"

"Talked to herself in the cafeteria, yeah," she said bluntly, with a tone tinged with anger as she rolled her eyes.

"I was going to say, the one that transferred last month," he finished, eying the blonde curiously.

"Oh," she muttered, feeling her cheeks heat hotly.

Puck rubbed the side of his face and grinned at the girl. "You don't recognise me do you?"

"Should I?"

"Hell yeah! I'm totally the biggest star on the football team, not to mention the most popular dude in that join… plus I sit behind you in English class," he said, causing Quinn to laugh. His grin grew even broader. "Here," he said as he scribbled something down on a scrap piece of paper and shoved it in Quinn's direction.

She tilted her head, realising that the boy had just given her his number. "Thanks, but if it's a hook-up you're after, I'm not interested," she said flatly.

Puck held his hands up defensively. "Don't get me wrong, you're a total babe and all but I gave it you so we could hang out some time, not to get in your pants Quinn," he laughed. "You seem…different."

"Different?" Quinn questioned with a sharp tone. "Thanks…" she said, feeling a tad hurt.

"Not in a bad way! You seem interesting is all. I think we could be friends," he quickly said with a boyish grin plastered to his face. "If you would give me a chance," Puck added, rubbing the back of his neck. Quinn gave the boy credit for trying- even though he was probably only trying to hook up with her for a dare or a joke so he and his ass-hole friends could laugh about it later. But even as she thought that, she couldn't ignore the nagging thought that he was actually being genuine- but then again, she wasn't used to people wanting to be her friend.

Quinn smirked before turning around to leave, waving a hand over head of her as she did so. "You're still not getting into my pants, Noah."

Quinn decided she might as well browse around the other shops, it'd distract from her boredom at least. She stopped dead in her tracks as something caught her eye in the window of a PC store. A light bulb buzzed in her head as she eyed the $15 deal on two long-range Walkie Talkies that were displayed neatly, practically begging her to buy them. They'd be well in range to use from her house and Rachel's. Maybe then the ghost wouldn't feel as lonely. She could talk to Quinn whenever she wanted, even at night without the fear of her human friend being killed.

Quinn grinned stupidly as she exited the shop with a brand new pair of Walkie Talkies. She couldn't wait to see the look on Rachel's face when she gave one to her. She also remembered how happy the ghost was about stealing Santana's magazine (even though the happiness may have come from the fact that the Latina would be pissed when she found out.) so she bought Rachel a few glossy fashion and gossip magazines for good measure.

As she walked towards the exit of the mall, someone roughly barged her shoulder, sending her crashing to the floor and landing on her stitched arm- causing her to let out an anguished cry. Tears sprouted to her eyes from the unbearable pain and she felt something warm spread across her arm. She just prayed that the stiches hadn't opened. She whipped her head up to face her offender and her eyes darkened, bristling with anger and annoyance as she saw Holly and two other girls, looking down at her as they snickered.

"Oops, sorry Quinn. Didn't see you there. Guess I must have thought you were a ghost," Holly said sarcastically. "What've you bought? Oh don't tell me, night goggles and heat recorders?" She laughed as she eyed the bags that were splayed around the blonde girl.

Quinn's anger peaked as adrenaline gave her the energy to get up and ignore the horrendous pain from her arm. "None of your damned business," she snapped as she tried to shove her way past, but the cheerleaders kept her in place, pushing her back. Quinn locked glares with the head cheerleader and dropped her bags as she grabbed hold of the top of Holly's shirt and pushed her into a wall.

Fear now replaced the mocking look in Holly's eyes and her mouth hung open, banishing the cruel smirk it had harboured only seconds ago. She desperately tried to get free of the raging blonde's grip but Quinn held her firmly in place. The other two cheerleaders did nothing but watch as did people who stopped to see what the commotion was about. Some were even taking pictures, but Quinn had no care in the world other than to see this girl suffer.

Quinn tightened her grip and continued to glare at the girl, and smirked when she realised that heavy tears had started to stream down the cheerleader's face. "G-get off of me you freak!" Holly tried to sound intimidating but Quinn knew it was just a front. She could practically smell Holly's fear.

Just then, Quinn found herself smiling. But it wasn't her usual, friendly or distant smile- this was a smile that she never imagined she'd use. It was sadistic and for a moment, she actually enjoyed watching the terrified girl squirm in her grip. "Leave me alone," Quinn said fiercely, abruptly letting go and returning to her bags in a daze.

What had come over her? Quinn had never acted that way towards anyone in her whole life. After all the people that acted like that to her, she made a vow to herself that she'd never be like them; she didn't want people to feel as awful as she did. No matter how much she might dislike someone, she never once thought about acting malicious towards them and worse yet- enjoying it. Now, she'd just broken her promise. She felt like she was going to throw up so without looking at the girls, she turned on her heal and fled without once looking back.

She ran back to her car, scrambling into the driver's seat and barely fastened her seatbelt before tears erupted from her eyes. What was happening to her? In that moment she felt nothing but hatred and utter contempt for Holly and it was as though her body automatically assaulted the girl for her, deriving pleasure from the fact that the girl was seconds away from pissing herself with fear.

Quinn buried her head in her hands. Maybe she was affected still from the previous night's events- or maybe she really was going crazy. She scoffed through her tears. Dr Shepard was going to have a field day when she told him this. Though maybe he'd offer an explanation that didn't make her want to shove his pen down his throat.

Quinn didn't drive home. Instead she drove to the first place she thought of- or more specifically, the first person. Rachel would no doubt ease the situation somehow. Just seeing the ghost smile that 1000-megawatt smile could cheer her up any day.

She jumped out of the car, taking her bags and keys- cutting the engine off but hesitated as she gripped the handle of the front door. It was only afternoon so no doubt she'd be safe, but even still, disturbing images from last night kept popping into her head, causing her to gulp down large amounts of cold December air.

"You can do this Q," she muttered to herself as she wiped dried tears from her skin and pushed the door open.

She stood on the step, peering inside and examined the damage from last night. She was surprised to see that you couldn't really tell there had been an ordeal, other than the remains of dried blood on a sheet of jagged glass. Her blood. Quinn gulped nervously before walking inside, cautiously looking around her.

The remnants of her old, broken cell phone caught her eye and she was relieved to find that her sim card was still intact. She pocketed it and turned around, screaming when she saw a petite brunette standing behind her.

"Rachel!" She scolded. "You scared me!"

The brunette chuckled but then to Quinn's surprise, hugged her, careful to avoid her injured arm. "Sorry," she muttered into blonde hair.

When they pulled apart, Quinn could feel a blush haze her cheeks. "Oh here, I got you something," she said as she rummaged through one of the bags for the magazines and effectively hid her blush from Rachel. She pulled them out and Rachel's eyes lit up then focussed on Quinn's with a mixture of excitement and disbelief.

"Quinn! You shouldn't have!"

"Oh okay, I'll take them back then," the blonde teased.

"No way!" The brunette replied and swatted for Quinn, trying to grab the magazines. Quinn laughed and gave in, giving them to Rachel and found comfort in the fact that the ghost was now grinning like a kid who had just got their first pet. "Thank you Quinn, you have no idea how grateful I am for this!"

"Well, you better brace yourself for what else I got you. But don't freak out too much! I got one for me too," Quinn said as she began to pull the Walkie Talkies from her bag.

"Something else? Quinn, no. This is too much I- what are they?"

Quinn laughed softly at Rachel's confusion. "Walkie Talkies Rach."

"As in, the kind where people can talk to each other?"

"Are they any others?"

Before Quinn got her reply, Rachel's arms were flung around her neck and the brunette's lips were firmly pressed against Quinn's. Rachel broke the kiss and stepped back, pressing a palm to her forehead; then squeezed her eyes shut and rubbed her temples as she silently yelled at herself.

"I'm sorry," she whispered. "I shouldn't have done that…"

"Rachel," Quinn started.

"Thank you for the gifts Quinn, they're lovely," Rachel said as she took one of the Walkie Talkies.

"Rachel, you don't have to apologise for kissing me," Quinn muttered.

"I shouldn't be encouraging it, it's not fair it's-"

"Not fair? Rachel! You say you like me, you kiss me and then you try to act as if the feelings you have for me aren't there, telling me to move on. That's not fair Rachel! I don't know where the hell I am with you and to be honest, it's pissing me off, you're pissing me off!" Quinn's hands shot to her mouth as soon as the last words had escaped her lips and she stared at a shocked Rachel.

"Quinn, what's going on? Are you okay?" Rachel asked tentatively as though Quinn was due another volatile outburst. She reached out a hand to the blonde but Quinn stepped backwards, keeping her eyes on the ghost.

"I'm so sorry Rachel," she whispered through her hands. "I don't know what's-" the blonde broke off her sentence and shook her head, unable to get the rest of her words out.

"Quinn-"

"I need to go."

"Quinn!"

Rachel's calls were in vain. Quinn was already out of the door and running to her car. She flung her bags on the passenger seat and shoved her keys in the ignition, slamming her foot down on the accelerator.

Why was she acting so differently? Why was she getting so worked up? And why had she just snapped at Rachel like that? As the car slowed to a stop outside of her house, she slumped back in her seat and sighed as she pressed her palms against her eyes, blocking out light completely. Firstly, she needed to get some sleep, she had a killer headache and she knew she was always cranky when she was suffering from a lack of sleep. Second, she needed to calm down and think rationally. She couldn't continue to go around attacking people and yelling at people who cared about her. And third, she needed one long conversation with Rachel, as she had a feeling that the little ghost knew something that she wasn't telling her.