Disclaimer: I do not own Glee/Characters.
The group number showed a great progression with Mr. Schue and the Jazz Band's help. Mr. Schue looked out over his pupils, satisfied. He crossed his arms in front of his chest, nodded. New Directions had really gotten motivated.
"All right, guys, before you're dismissed…" Mr. Schue looked at Rachel. "Rachel, you have something to say, right?"
Rachel jumped up from her chair. "Yes, thank you, Mr. Schue. First, I'm glad that all you guys have been enthusiastic about OOS." She clapped her hands happily.
Santana snorted, rolling her eyes. "Please. Don't press your luck. It's doesn't mean we agreed with you." Midget. She added in her mind. Santana was in a bad mood since Brittany didn't return her feelings. And she didn't forget that Rachel had snapped at her the other day.
Rachel was about to counter at Santana before she corrected herself, ignoring Santana's statement. She cleared her throat. "Second, I've been studying songwriting with someone experienced. I know Mr. Schue and the Jazz Band can help, but they're really busy to help Group Number Team. So if you need any help, I'll be here."
"So you can steal my idea for a solo." Mercedes folded her arms across her chest.
Rachel was about to backretort, Quinn interrupted.
"Actually I need her help."
Quinn had been annoyed with Finn. He hadn't really helped to write a duet. She knew why. Rachel. She had to draw the clear line between her relationship with Finn and Rachel.
Rachel was at a loss for words for a moment. Yes, she declared that she could help them for songwriting, but she didn't think that Quinn would want her help to be honest.
"What do you say, Rachel? You have a minute after this?" Quinn smiled at Rachel softly.
Rachel hesitated. Who the hell wanted to help writing a lovely-dovey song involved her ex-boyfriend? Her declaration completely backfired. But she couldn't take it back.
"O-okay. But I have an appointment at 6 today, I can help today only for an half hour or so." Rachel nodded as if she convinced herself.
"Sounds good to me. Thank you, Rachel. I'll be at the auditorium." Quinn kissed her boyfriend, and left the choir room.
Finn chased Quinn in the hallway before he found her at her locker. "What are you doing?" He yanked her elbow.
"What are you talking about?" Quinn rolled her eyes, saying nonchalantly.
"Do you really need her help?" He hissed with restless eyes, seeing on the corner of his eye Rachel making her way to her locker. He took her into an empty classroom.
"Of course I do. She's very talented. Don't you think so?" She asked, caressing his cheek tenderly.
"I don't think that's a good idea." Finn said, not trying to fall into her trap.
Quinn snorted, putting her hand on the hip. "Like you've been helping a lot." She changed her tone as he frowned his eyebrows. "Look, we've not made any progress in our duet. We need somebody's help. She said she could help, then why not?"
"I don't know…" Finn started to pace in the room, running his hand through his hair. He was aware that he's not made much effort to write a duet because all lyrics he came up with were about Rachel not Quinn, which he could never say aloud.
Quinn put her hand on his shoulder, stopping him from pacing. "If we pull off a duet," she wrapped her arms around his neck, "it helps our Prom King and Queen campaign and it's going to put us back where we belong." She pulled him toward her, trying to kiss him.
"What? Which is where?" Finn pulled his head back, looking at her suspiciously.
"On top." Quinn replied with legitimate firmness.
Finn sighed. Deep down, he didn't care whether he would be on top or not. It was not what he wanted to be in fact. But if it was what Quinn wanted to be and it made her happy (more like that it didn't make her pissed off), he was going to go along with it.
He finally accepted her kiss, wondering why he got back together with Quinn in the first place.
"You're late. I have only 10 minutes left." Rachel knew that Quinn would be late since she saw Finn and Quinn snuck into an empty classroom. Imagining that she had to witness the couple until graduation, it was nothing but torture.
Quinn walked to the piano where Rachel was sitting at. She started to talk, idly tracing empty space on the top of piano by her finger. "Well, to be honest, I just wanted to talk to you in private."
"About what?" Rachel simply asked. She would be lying if she expected Quinn to need her help.
"Finn and I are together. It's been a couple of weeks. You know what it means? You and Finn are never going to work. Finn and I stay here and start a family. I'll become a successful real estate agent, and Finn will take over Kurt's dad's tire shop. We're going to live happily ever after."
"Is that what he wants? Isn't that what you want? You can't make a decision for him." Rachel countered.
"He does anything that makes me happy." Quinn said matter-of-factly. "Didn't he do that to you? I'm sure he didn't."
Rachel didn't want to involve their relationship anymore, but it didn't mean Quinn could rewrite history. "Look, Quinn, I'm happy for you and Finn. Maybe Finn and I didn't belong to each other. But it doesn't mean our relationship was not real."
"Yes, it does! You're so frustrating." Quinn cracked, raising her voice. "You live in this little schoolgirl fantasy of life. Rachel, if you keep looking for that happy ending, then you are never going to get it right. You really have to understand how damaged a guy like Finn has to be to be with someone as annoying as you. So don't try to steal my man this time."
"I'm not-"
Before Rachel finished, Quinn turned on her heel and left the auditorium.
Despite the fact Quinn attacked her vocally, Rachel got some inspiration from her. Putting up with tears, Rachel held her head high, entered the Hell Gate studio. Oh God. Luck didn't come her way today. The receptionist was sitting at the front desk.
"May I help you?" The receptionist asked in an unfriendly manner (again).
"Hi, I'm Rachel." Why did she introduce herself to her since she had already done that last time? She almost rolled her eyes to herself. "David asked me to be at C studio at 6. Could you tell me where C studio is?"
The receptionist handed a sheet of the studio map. "Here. Go down straight that corridor, third door."
"Thank you." Rachel was about to leave, but turned around. "Um…"
"Anything else you need?" The woman began to be annoyed.
Rachel was so used to people hating her even though she didn't anything to them. "No, can I ask your name?" She asked without flinching.
"Stephanie." She answered bruskly.
"Thank you, Stephanie." Rachel gave her a big smile, which annoyed Stephanie even more.
David tried to arrange some songs for a gig while he was waiting for Rachel. After he stopped to write his own songs, musical arrangement was his only joy except for playing piano or guitar. Especially arranging guitar rock songs into piano ones was challenging but worthwhile.
When Rachel pushed the heavy steel door, David was singing along with piano. His voice was slightly hoarse but sweet and a bit mellow.
"Wow, it's really good. You're very talented." Rachel clapped her hands as he finished playing. "I would know. I'm talented, too." She added.
David pulled his head back, laughing. "Well, hello, Rachel. And thank you for your compliment."
"Is that your song?" Rachel asked. She hadn't heard the song.
"No, it's a song from Dave Matthews Band. I was arranging it for a gig." David saw Rachel just nodding. "You don't listen to this kind of music that much?" He raised his eyebrow comically.
"Honestly, I don't know anything about Dave Matthews' songs. I'm a huge Barbra Streisand fan." Rachel confessed, fidgeting. "But I grew up with Classic Rock," her eye's lightened up. "you know, like Queen, Journey, The Rolling Stones. And we sing various type of music in Glee Club. Oh, Mr. Schue likes us to pick up and showcase a song from Fleetwood Mac after Regionals."
David smiled at her. "My band plays Classic Rock, too. Other than the song I was playing, we'll play a song from Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers at a local pub next Saturday."
"Can I come see?" Rachel asked.
"You're underage." David pointed out.
"I promise that I won't drink alcohol! Please!" She begged with widening her big brown eyes, which she knew that nobody could resist.
"You shouldn't do that." David narrowed his eyes.
"Do what?" Rachel asked with a straight face.
"Never mind." David shook his head. "All right. I'm going to speak to the manager. I can't guarantee though. I let you know." He handed a flyer to her.
"Okay, enough small talk. Let's talk about your song."
Any thoughs?