Notnow - I'm glad I made your day! And, to address your second review, I agree with you completely. I don't know where the fourth season is headed, but I hope Ryan writes in something good for Rachel and Shelby. Idina Menzel is fabulous and I hope and pray that she gets an awesome duet with Lea! Thank you so much for your review!
banjojd - Thank you so much for your review! Leroy may seem like a tough guy, but he does have a soft spot and he does have his fears. I hope you enjoy this chapter!
Dorothy - It was great that Shelby could detect that something was off with Rachel. Even though they have just met, Rachel is her daughter and there has been and always will be this connection between them that keeps them together. Quinn's plan is going to be a huge surprise that I don't think anyone will see coming! Thank you for reviewing!
Guest - Thank you so much!
Guest - Thank you so much for your kind words. I hope you enjoy this chapter.
Janie - Thank you for your review! There are some big things that will happen start to happen in this chapter, some that I don't think anyone will see coming and some that I hope won't upset anyone.
Sally - Thank you! I am so happy you like that Hiram is an artist! Rachel will definitely try to find ways to get around her grounding. Judy and Quinn have secrets that they are keeping from each other! Thank you so much again for reading and reviewing.
Guest - Thank you!
Abby - Thank you so much for your kind words! I hope you enjoy this chapter.
Guest - Thank you for reading and reviewing!
Anon - Thank you so much! As much as I want Shelby to have Rachel all to herself, her father's are so important and have done remarkably well with her.
Once again, thank you so much for all your reviews and alerts. It means so much!
Many, many new things will start to surface and the last chapter set up some of the things I have planned for this story. I am not sure what your reactions will be, but it's something that I have had planned for a bit. I hope you enjoy this chapter!
Also, the kids have their trial in this chapter. I am no professional and I did do some research about driving laws in Ohio, but again, I don't know a whole lot. I hope I don't upset anyone or offend anyone. I understand that I may be way off with how a court room is run, but I gave it my best shot.
Quinn lay in her bedthat Sunday morning, staring at her ceiling. Her mind was racing, mulling over last night.
The blonde quickly grabbed a hoodie and then stepped outside. She closed the door behind her and walked swiftly towards a house that she had been to maybe once or twice. The girl was going to have to make it quick if she wanted to get home before her mother did. She only knew where Jesse St. James's house was because Rachel had taken her there to spy on Vocal Adrenaline. The girl was sure he wouldn't remember her, but she had no other choice. He was her only hope.
When Quinn reached her destination, she knocked on the door.
"Quinn?" Jesse asked with a confused look after opening the door. What was she doing here? And what was she doing out so late?
"Do you have a minute?" Quinn asked as she looked over her shoulder, checking to see if anyone was behind her.
"I... guess," Jesse said as he stepped outside. He didn't want to risk bringing the girl inside. He was already in enough trouble as is. "So.. uh... what's this about?"
"Jesse, I know that... well, I don't really... I don't know where to begin or how... how I should ask, but I need... I need to ask you a huge favor , a very, very big favor and," she held up her hand to silence him. She shook her head, "I... I know it is a lot to ask and I know that you have your own shit to deal with, but I... I didn't know who else to go to."
Jesse remained silent and raised his eyebrow. "So... your question is?" Why were girls so damn confusing.
"Oh, right," the girl took a deep breath, "I... I need money," Quinn said looking down. She was embarrassed, but it was the truth. How the hell was her mom expecting her to pay whatever fine she would be charged with. The girl began to talk quickly. "I don't know how much... what the fine is... right now, but I promise, I swear I will pay you back every cent and more." Quinn faced the boy. "I know this is a lot to ask, hell, I wouldn't be surprised if you weren't willing to help after... but... but my mom isn't... she isn't going to help out and I have no fucking idea how I am going to pay whatever fine I get in time."
Jesse did not see this coming. Why should he help this girl out? He wracked his brain, thinking if there were any reasons if he should hate her, but he couldn't think of anything. Still, he did have his own crap he had to deal with, but part of him wanted to help. It wasn't that he felt sympathy, though. In addition, he was definitely not interested in having a relationship with this chick, if that's where she thought it was headed. She just wasn't his type.
"Why me?"
"What?"
"I said, why me, Quinn. Of all the people, why me? I barely even know you. Why not Shelby? Or I don't know... your best friends, big nose-"
"Rachel,"
"Rachel or Kurt?"
"Because," Quinn said as she wrung her fingers. "I know how we can... how we can make this even, in addition to me paying you back."
The boy raised his eyebrow. He was starting to get lost. "Are you just fucking with me, Q?" He spat. He didn't want to fall into this trap... whatever trap this girl was plotting.
"Is that what you think?" Quinn said. "You are so thick headed!" She stood up. "Forget it, just forget I ever came by. I should be getting home anyways."
"Wait!" Jesse said as he stood up and reached for the girls arm. Damn, he thought to himself, girls were so dramatic. The smallest things always set them off in a frenzy. "What do you have in mind?"
Quinn stood there with her arms crossed. She was wasting her time with this jerk.
"Quinn... please?"
The girl bit the inside of her mouth, debating whether or not it was worth it. She knew, doing this would betray her closest of friends and that she may never be forgiven, but she had no other choice.
"Fine," Quinn said as she sat back down on the porch. "But not a word until I finish speaking, got it?"
...
Judy Fabray sat in her car outside the hospital. She took a deep breath. It was now or never. She knew she left Quinn enough chores to keep her busy for at least three hours. The woman turned the ignition off, grabbed her purse, and made her way through the automatic doors.
"Berry," the woman said at the front desk. The receptionist held up her finger, singling that she needed a minute. "You're kidding me, right?" Nothing. "HELLO? I'm standing right here! I could be dying!"
"Judy Fabray," Dr. Drummand said as he handed a nurse a patient's chart. "What are you doing here?"
The woman straighten herself. "Just... uh, visiting a friend. I... I was actually just leaving."
"Leroy?" the doctored questioned as he crossed his arms. What was this woman up to?
"Well-"
"Judy, I heard you... why are here to see him?" The woman clamped her mouth shut. "Because, visiting hours are over. I suggest that you leave the premise now," Dr. Drummand gave the woman a good long stare until she started backing off and exited the building.
...
Kurt was sitting at the kitchen table nibbling on a piece of toast when he father enter the room. The day was almost over. The boy sighed. He had to go back to reality tomorrow, school.
"Hey," Burt said as he entered the room.
"Hi," Kurt said as he shifted in his seat. He was antsy. His father had yet to tell him whether or not he was going to be grounded until college. He also was anticipating when his court date was. Why wasn't anyone telling him anything? He didn't like not knowing these things. He needed to know so he could prepare himself. He wanted to know how his friends were doing and when he was going to be able to see them. Tomorrow was Monday, so he would be able to see them then, right?
His father poured himself a cup of coffee and sat at the other end of the kitchen table. For a beat, Kurt just watched as his father read the newspaper. Coffee? This late in the day? The boy wondered.
"Dad?" Kurt said. His father looked up from the paper. "Dad... why aren't you... not that I'm... I don't-"
"Son," Burt said. "what are you trying to say?"
"It's just that... why aren't you... aren't you going to ground me or something?"
Burt Hummel put down the paper he was reading and glanced over at his son. He lightly chuckled to himself.
"Kurt, of course I am going to ground you, in fact, your grounding has already started."
"I... I don't understand," Kurt said, biting his lip. What was this?
"Kurt," Burt said as he sat next to his son. "When you stepped off that plane, your grounding started, whether you knew it or not. I didn't say anything to you this weekend because I wanted you to think about what you did. In a way, I wanted you to... squirm. I know that you knew what you did was wrong, but I wanted you to really think about your actions," Kurt opened his mouth to speak, but Burt silenced him. "Don't get me wrong, I'm not going to let you off that easy. You will not be allowed to go out on the weekends for the next two months and you will be helping me around the shop."
"Okay," Kurt said. He knew he deserved that and that it could have been a lot worse. In fact, his father was right, he had spent the rest of the weekend thinking about what he did. He certainly wasn't thrilled that he was going to be getting dirty, but he wasn't going to object. He hated that he let his father down and lost his trust. He needed to gain that back. "So-"
"Oh, and another thing, "your court date is tomorrow." He watched as his son's eyes bulged out. "It's going to be okay. Quinn and Rachel will be there too. From what I'm getting, you will go in and the judge will explain how everything is going to go."
With that, his father got up, patted his son on the shoulder, and left. This was too soon, Kurt thought to himself. He didn't know how he was supposed to dress or how he was supposed to act tomorrow. Did Rachel and Quinn know the court date was tomorrow?
"Kurt, you have five minutes to be in the shop," Burt said.
Kurt sighed and gobbled down the rest of his toast. Here goes nothing, he thought to himself.
...
"Mom!" Rachel called from the top of the stairs. "Mom!" Nothing. "MOM!" Silence. "Moooom!"
"Rachel! I'll be right there!" Shelby called from the kitchen. She didn't even have time to take a sip of coffee before Rachel was summoning her. She took a deep breath and headed upstairs.
"Mom, your music selection is absolutely fabulous!" Shelby watched as Rachel danced around the room. "Oh, I love West Side Story! Can we work on Somewhere! Oh, wait, no let's do a Carole King song!" Rachel was talking a mile a minute. The woman wondered if she ever slept. "But, I love, love, love For Good. Mom, you should write a book! Mom are you going to give vocal lessons? Can I watch? Oh, we should definitely work on Somewhere Over the Rainbow or Imagine! Mom-"
"Rach," Shelby said as he rubbed her temples. "calm down, okay? There is plenty of time to work on all the songs you want. I actually had a song in mind that I-"
"Yes!" the girl said excitedly. "Let's do it!"
"You haven't even heard what I had on my mind!" the woman laughed.
"I know, but you have such great tastes in music. Whatever you choose will be awesome!"
"Okay, well you know this artist. In fact, he has composed the scores to some of the best musicals out there. I thought that we could sing Elton John's Mona Lisas and Mad Hatters."
"Okay! I love him! I just love, love The Lion King! Oh, and Aida! That's great! I have this fantasy of doing 'My Strongest Suit' for a competition song. I also love Billy Elliot!"
"And," Shelby said, cutting Rachel off, "before we start this song I would like to give you a little background on this song." Rachel groaned. Seriously? A history lesson? "Hey," the woman said as she walked over to the piano. "would you rather research this yourself and write me a paper?" A beat. "That's what a thought." The woman waved the girl over. "Now, this song was released in 1972 in Elton John's Honky Chateau album. It was written by not only Elton John himself, but also Bernie Taupin. This song was written after Bernie heard a gunshot go off near his window when he first visited New York City." Rachel was fidgeting in her seat. "Rachel? Are you listening? Do I have to quiz you on this later?"
"No!" Rachel said quickly. "Mona Lisas and Mad Hatters, Elton John, Bernie, New York City. Got it."
"The lyrics were inspired by Ben E. King's Spanish Harlem. Do you know who Ben E. King is?" the woman asked.
"Of course, mother," Rachel groaned. "He sang Stand By Me." The girl began to hum the tune.
"Correct." the woman said. She was glad that her father's were exposes her to good music. "Now, I chose this song because, not only was this song used in the film Almost Famous, but, more importantly, what I want you to get out of this song is that you will meet people in your life, some that may be kind, some that may be harsh, and some that may be more fortunate or less fortunate, but you will always learn and gain something, regardless." The woman sighed. She wondered if Rachel anything was going to stick in the girl's brain. "You won't fully understand how lucky and fortunate you are to have such a supportive group of friends and a wonderful family, until you live your life."
The small girl nodded. She was kind of following what her mother was saying. She gnawed at her lip, unsure of what to do.
"Now," Shelby said as she placed her fingers on the piano. "this first time around, I just want you to close your eyes and listen to the lyrics, okay?" The girl nodded. She closed her eyes as she listened to her mother's sweet voice fill the room.
While Mona Lisas and mad hatters,
sons of bankers, sons of lawyers,
turn around and say, "good morning" to the night.
For unless they see the sky, but they can't and that is why,
they know not if it's dark outside or light.
And now I know, "Spanish Harlem" are not just pretty words to say.
I thought I knew, but now I know that rose trees never grow,
in New York City.
Subways no way, for a good man to go down,
Rich man can ride, and the hobo he can drown.
And I thank the Lord the people I have found,
I thank the Lord for the people I have found...
...
"Good afternoon, Leroy." Dr. Drummand said as he pulled a chair close to the man. "How are we feeling this morning?"
"Lousy," the man said. He felt fine and now, being in this hospital made him feel ten times worse.
"That's to be expected," the doctor said as he reviewed the man's chart. "You're not going to like what I have to say," the doctor said cautiously.
"Don't tell me I have to stay another night."
"Nights," Dr. Drummand said.
"What?" Leroy spat as he tried to sit up. "What the hell could I have possibly done?"
The doctor sighed. "We were hoping that some of the internal damage you sustained from the accident would heal on itself, but your body took quite a beating and we will mostly likely have to go in and clean up the infection."
Leroy groaned. This wasn't helping. Sure, he felt like shit, but why did they have to operate. What about Rachel? He didn't want to spend another night in this place.
"It'll be a quick procedure and can have you out in say... two days," the doctor said standing up. "Where's Hiram?.
"He's back at the house, waiting for Shelby to drop Rachel off. She spent the night with Shelby." Leroy replied.
"Well," the doctor said as he made his want to the door "get some rest and I'll see you in a few hours."
...
Rachel was still on a high after her small voice lesson with her mother. That woman definitely knew her stuff; however, the girl did not like the idea of having to research a song before performing it. It was a kill joy, really.
The girl sighed and leaned back in backseat. She didn't want to go home. She wanted to stay with Shelby and get to know the woman more.
As Shelby pulled into the girl's driveway, Hiram stepped outside to greet them.
"Daddy!" Rachel squealed as she opened the back seat and barreled into her father's arms. "I missed you."
"I miss you too, sweetie. Did you have fun?" The girl nodded. She pulled away from her father and rushed inside. Hiram straightened himself and hugged Shelby. "Thank you, again, Shelby for watching Rachel."
"Of course," the woman said. "We had a lot of fun."
"I hope she didn't wake you up at the crack of dawn. Rachel likes to wake up early."
"So I learned," Shelby said with a laugh. "She didn't wake me up, but she did put a dent in my coffee."
There was a beat.
"Why don't you step inside," Hiram said.
"Oh, I should really be getting on my way. Rain check?"
"Right," Hiram said as he ran his fingers through his hair. "I'm going to hold you to that." Hiram said as he quickly stuck his head inside the house. "Rachel! Come say goodbye!"
"Bye!" Shelby and Hiram heard Rachel call from upstairs. Hiram gave the woman an apologetic look. "She says thank you."
"Oh, before I forget," the woman said as she reached into her pocket and pulled out Rachel's cell phone. "Wouldn't want to forget this!"
Hiram laughed. "Thank you. I'm surprised Rachel didn't try to steal this away from you."
"We'll be in touch," Shelby said with a laugh as she got into her car.
Hiram lingered at the doorstep as he watched the woman back out of the driveway. He sighed as he stepped inside and closed the door behind him.
"Rachel?" he called. "Rachel?"
"Yeah?"
"Come down here, please. I need so speak with you."
Crap, Rachel thought to herself. Was she in trouble? She tried to think if she did anything wrong... anything besides running off to New York City. The girl took a deep breath. It was fine, she wasn't in trouble. She always felt like she was in trouble when her fathers called her downstairs.
"What is it?" Rachel asked as she plopped herself on the couch.
"Rach, tomorrow... tomorrow is your court date and-"
"WHAT?" Rachel said as she jumped to her feet. Tears began to fall freely. "No, I'm not... I... I'm not ready for this!" The small girl began to shake. She was terrified. She had no idea what to expect. This was the end. She was going to be locked up forever and would never, ever be able to make it big. She would have a record.
"Rachel," Hiram said as he pulled the girl into a hug, "sweetie, look at me... Rachel, you're okay. It's going to be okay."
"How do you know that?" the tiny girl sobbed, "how do you know they aren't going to arrest me! Or Quinn! Or Kurt? My life is ruined! The judge is going to be mean and-"
"Because," Hiram said as he rubbed the girl's back, "this thing tomorrow... it's not to lock anyone up, it's for a judge to tell you what you and Quinn and Kurt will have to do as... as, I guess, punishment for what you did. You need to understand that this won't be taken lightly."
"I'm scared," the girl whispered.
"I know sweetie, I know. But, I will be there, with you, every step of the way and so will your dad." A beat. "Speaking of your father..."
"What about him? Where is he? Is he okay?" Rachel pulled away from Hiram. "Is he still at the hospital? Shouldn't you be there?"
"Yes, he is," Hiram said calmly, "he's going to be there for a little while longer, but," he grabbed the girl's hands to keep her attention, "I don't want you to worry. He is in good hands, okay?" Rachel nodded. "No more crying, okay?"
Rachel nodded as she licked her lips. "What," she hiccupped, "...what about you. How are you?"
"I'm doing just fine, sweetie. I was checked out by Dr. Drummand and got the okay. Things are still fuzzy, but it's coming back,"
With that, Rachel forced a smile across her face. It was going to be okay. "Daddy," she said excitedly, "mo- Shelby taught me a new song and I want to play... and sing it for you!"
"I'd love to hear it," Hiram said with a smile.
...
Rachel sat nervously, biting her nails, as she waited for the trial to begin. She felt like she was going to throw up. The girl didn't get a wink of sleep the previous night. She would rather be in school right now. She'd rather be in math class and she would rather be getting slushied.
The girl looked to her left. Kurt looked like a ghost. His eyes were trained forward. Next to Kurt was Quinn. The blonde had her lips pursed. She was trying to be strong, but it wasn't working. Rachel couldn't recall a single time when the blonde had broken down crying.
The adults were also close by. Judy sat impatiently as she bounced her leg up and down. She kept on shifting in her seat and looking at her watch as if she had somewhere else better to be. Burt Hummel was on the edge of his seat. He looked as though he was going to pounce. Finally, there was Hiram. Something about him relaxed her. Rachel was glad that it was just Hiram and not Leroy, or it would have surely been a bloodbath.
Moment later, the judge arrived.
"All rise," a voice said.
That was happening. Rachel took a deep shaky breath. She promised herself she wouldn't cry. She needed to prove that she could take the punishments like an adult.
"You may all be seated," a woman dressed in a long black robe said. As everyone sat down, she introduced herself. "My name is Judge Cardwell." The judge looked down at the files in front of her. "Is everyone present?"
"Yes... yes, your Honor," Burt said standing up. "My name is Burt Hummel and my irresponsible son is Kurt... Kurt Hummel,"
Oh god, Kurt thought to himself. They had barely been in there for five minutes and his father was embarrassing him.
"Mr. Hummel," Judge Cardwell said. "Please be seated, so we can proceed." The woman turned her attention to the three children before her. "Quinn Fabray, Kurt Hummel, and... Rachel Berry, do you know why you are here?"
The three children nodded and remained silent as they listened to Judge Cardwell speak. Not once, did she address any of the adults. She was speaking directly to them.
Quinn tried to focus, but she couldn't. Too much was on her mind. She was thinking about her conversation with Jesse the other night. She was thinking about her mother and wondered why her mother seemed... different when she returned. She was thinking about what and how she was going to find time to get all this community service done and taking this so called crash course on driving safety.
"Please, explain to me all of this again," Burt said with his hands on his hips, pulling all the children away from their thoughts.
"Dad!" Kurt said through clenched teeth as he slumped in his chair. His father was so embarrassing. Was he seriously going to ask the judge to repeat everything she said? The last thing he wanted to do was aggravate the judge even more. Did parents ever listen?
"Quinn," Judge Cardwell said, ignoring Burt. "Do you understand that a driver in the state of Ohio must be fifteen years and six months to get a permit and sixteen years to get a license?" The small blonde nodded nervously. They all nodded. "In addition, to even qualify to get a license, one must complete twenty four hours of classroom driving instruction and eight hours of instruction behind the wheel with a qualified teacher. You must-"
"We understand all of this." Judy snapped as she leaned forward. She was getting impatient. "Can we please just get this over with? I know you must have other things to do. Why don't we just-"
"Ms. Fabray," Judge Cardwell said sharply. "Do I have to have your removed from the courtroom? Because I will if you open your mouth again. I can think of a million other places I want to be right now, but, right now, I need to make sure your daughter and her friends understand that what they have done cannot be taken lightly. You're lucky that they did not get in an accident or a cop pulled them over. Now, can I continue? Or does someone else have something they would like to say?" The blonde woman pursed her lips and leaned back in her seat. She did not like this woman. "As I was saying, you must also have at least fifty hours of practice behind the wheel, ten of which must be at night with a licensed adult."
"Yes, your honor," Quinn said. She knew all of this. She knew all of that since she was four. She had already read the driving manual cover to cover dozens of times. If only, the blonde thought to herself, if only I had waited a few months, I would have been able to get my permit. The girl shook her head. She was an idiot. She didn't know why she did this. Well, she did, but she was beginning to think it wasn't worth it anymore.
"Ms. Fabray... Ms. Fabray," Judge Cardwell said a little louder.
Quinn snapped out of her trans. "Yes, your Honor?" The judge raised her eyebrow as if she was waiting for a response. "I'm sorry... can you repeat the question?"
"I said, do you agree to serve fifty hours of community service and take all the crash courses by..." the woman paused to sift through the files, "by the end of August?" The judge paused. Where was this girl's mind? Kurt and Rachel were attentive and had agreed, but now, she just needed an okay from Quinn.
"Are you kidding?" Judy said as she shot out of her seat. "Do you expect my daughter, my thirteen year old daughter, and her two friends to get all of this... whatever this is in a little under a month?"
"Ms. Fabray," Judge Cardwell said through her teeth, "and any other person who interrupts me again, I will double what I am giving your children. Be thankful because it should be worse, but-"
"Yes, your Honor," Kurt said, "we will do it." He nudged Quinn.
"Yes, your Honor," she replied into her hands.
The boy looked to his right. Rachel hadn't said a single word. He wanted her to say something or move. Something. None of them really said anything.
"In addition," the woman said, "Quinn, you will not be allowed to get your learner's permit for another year. Kurt and Rachel, because you were not driving the vehicle, you will both take additional crash courses on driving safety. Am I clear? Are there any questions?" Silence. "Very well," the woman said, "we are done here. I hope I don't see any of you in this courtroom again." A beat. "You children are very, very lucky. You're lucky you didn't get in an accident and you're lucky no one was hurt. Now, you are all free to go." Judge Cardwell banged her gavel. "Court adjourned."
The judge watched as all the children got up wearily. "Quinn," Judge Cardwell called out, "can I see you in my chambers?"
"No, she can't." Judy said quickly. "She has to be somewhere... now."
"Ms. Fabray," Judge Cardwell said, "should I have reason to believe that Quinn is in danger? Surely I can just speak to her briefly... if need be, I can write her a note to excuse her tardiness for... where ever she has to be." A beat. "Because, judging by your quick reaction, I should be concerned."
Judy clenched her fists. "Fine," she gave Quinn a push towards the judge, "go on, we have nothing to hide, right Quinny?" Was this woman seriously questioning her parenting tactics?
Quinn looked at the ground and then at the judge. She quickly averted her eyes and looked at Rachel and Kurt who were nodding on her.
"I can wait," Hiram said stepping forward, "and give Quinn a ride home."
"That won't be necessary," Judy said kindly.
"Well," Judge Cardwell said, "we won't be long. Feel free to get a bit to eat in the cafeteria."
The small blonde wearily followed the woman back to her chambers. Her mind started racing, she knew what this was about and she knew that she had to come up with an excuse and fast.
...
Shelby pulled into the parking lot at the Lima Bean. She was going to speak with Jesse St. James. She needed to straighten things up between them and to see where they stood.
The woman stepped inside the tiny cafe and sucked in a deep breath. She loved the smell of coffee. Shelby looked around the corner where the sitting area was and didn't see Jesse and then glanced at the time. It was still early. Jesse was never late. The woman stepped in line to order herself and Jesse coffees, looking towards the door every time someone stepped in.
After settling herself in the farthest corner of the sitting area, Jesse finally stepped in. Shelby flagged him down.
"Jesse," Shelby said carefully, "thank you so much for meeting me today."
"No problem," Jesse said as he sat down opposite the woman.
"Coffee?" Shelby asked as she pushed a tall coffee cup towards the boy.
"Thanks," Jesse said as he took a sip.
"So, Jesse, I guess you're wondering why I asked to meet you here... or maybe... you know why I brought you here..."
Jesse just shrugged. He was still angry at the woman, but he liked the idea of getting out of the house. "I don't know... to like... like make amends or whatever?"
"Well, that too, but Jesse, I don't want to be your enemy. I don't-"
"Look, I get it. You kicked me off the team. It's whatever. Like I have more free time, which is great. So, you don't need to apologize or whatever. Yeah, I have to do like stupid community service and shit and whatever, but like the lady... what's her face..."
"Karen?"
"Yeah, Karen was all, 'Jesse, I am very disappointed in you, but you have potential, so I am going to see what I can do.' And I was like, 'That is so kind of you, thank you.' And then she was like-"
"Okay!" Shelby cut in, putting her hands up, "I get it. So Karen is helping you out?" The woman could not believe that. Was that even legal?
"Well, she like tried, but I mean, I'm... it's like whatever,"
"Jesse," Shelby said as she crossed her arms. "I'll make this quick so you can go off and do... whatever you're doing with your free time." A beat. "I was.. I am going to offer to give you singing lessons. Now, before you bitch and moan, hear me out. You have talent, Jesse, but that doesn't mean you should take your big ego to New York City and tell people what to do and walk into an audition looked like... this," the woman looked the boy up and down, "because I can guarantee that... it will get you nowhere. You need more training, Jesse, and I am offering you this chance... this chance to maybe even gain my trust back and maybe even learn something if you just open your eyes and your ears." Another beat. "I'm not going to let you back on the team, but I am going to and would like to continue to coach you. So, what do you think?"
...
"Would you like anything to drink, Quinn?" Judge Cardwell asked as she opened her mini fridge. "I've got... water, sprite, and... apple juice..."
"Uh... water, please," Quinn said. Manners, Quinn, the blonde heard her mother say in her heard The woman handed her a bottle of water. "Thank you," the girl said softly.
"You're welcome," the woman said as she took a sip of sprite as she eyed the girl carefully. A beat. "Quinn, do you know why I asked you to come back here?" The blonde shook her head. "Quinn... I'm just going to come out and be honest with you okay?" The girl nodded her head. "Quinn, your friend's parents... Burt- Mr. Hummel and Mr. Berry... they said that your mother... they said that she seemed pretty upset with you."
Quinn just shrugged. "I would be too... if my child drove off to New York City... underage and without a license... I'd be furious."
"Quinn, they told me your mother was-"
"No!" Quinn cried as she cut the woman off. She knew where this was headed. "She... she hasn't... I mean, she..." the girl could feel tears pricking the corners of her eyes, "she... she just gets upset and stuff... and it's... I'm fine... it's nothing, I just..." the girl looked down at her hands, "she gets angry at me, but it's not... it's not as bad as it looks. They're wrong. They are all wrong. Don't listen to them."
Judge Cardwell leaned forward, trying to catch the girl's eyes. She was avoiding her. eyes "Quinn, right now, I can tell you this, something is up and I understand-"
"No, you actually don't. You don't know me,"
She's a fighter, the judge thought to herself with a light smile.
"You're right, Quinn, I don't know you like your friends know you, but from what I gathered from Mr. Hummel, Mr. Berry, and your mother and from today, I... it... your mother doesn't-"
"Just spit it out," Quinn said bitterly with her arms crossed.
"You're not safe, Quinn, and-"
The girl shot up. "So you're going to place me in a fucking home? And that's where I am going to live for the rest of my life! Jumping from family to family because they can't handle me!" The girl wanted to punch something. "You're going to ruin my life! I just want to go to school-"
"And you will," Judge Cardwell tired to get in.
"I just want to go to school and see my friends and-"
"Quinn," the woman said as she stood up and took the girl in her arms, "you're safe now, okay? We are going to look into your case, but right now, there is high beliefs and reasons to believe that you should not be with your mother right now. We are just... we are doing something you were just afraid of doing and that is okay. You should not be ashamed,"
"Okay," Quinn whispered into the woman's chest. "Okay,"
...
Shelby was on the road once again. She had one last stop to make before she could go back home. She kept checking her phone, anxious to hear back from Hiram about how the trial went. She wanted to know how all the children were doing. And Leroy.
The woman sighed as she checked her phone one last time. Nothing. She got out of the car and headed towards Carmel High School. The woman had contacted everyone as soon as she and Jesse went their separate ways. She just needed to speak with all of them briefly.
As the woman neared the auditorium, she could hear voices inside. Shelby took a deep breath and pushed through the double doors.
"It's nice to see all to you!" Shelby said as she made her way down the stairs with her show face on.
"Miss. Corcoran!" A few voices called out! "Are you coming back? What's going to happen?" So many questions were being thrown out at once.
The woman held her hand up to silence everyone. "No, I am not coming back, when I told you that, I meant it." A pause. "However, I am here to tell you who your new coach will be,"
Again, I did do some research about the penalties for minors driving without a license in the state of Ohio, but I realize that some of my facts may still be inaccurate. So, for the record, again, I am saying this now, I am no professional. I am unfamiliar with how the whole system works, so I apologize if it's way off track. The only knowledge I have of how a court room is run and the laws is from Jodi Picoult's novels. She is my absolute favorite author and she such an amazing writer.
Also, I'm saying this again, I had no intention of offending anyone with the material I covered in this chapter. I apologize if I did. This chapter is a little shorter than I anticipated. Sorry for any typos.