A/N: I am so, so, so, so sorry I've made you all wait so long. Seeing Glee Live had me on such a high that after my last show I kinda sunk into depression, haha! But I'm back and I promise not to leave you guys hanging ever again. This has kinda been rushed out so sorry for any mistakes. be sure to tell me if you spot any glaring mistakes.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN: What Is This Feeling?
With the guest list for the upcoming movie night confirmed, Rachel wasted no time at all in setting up a fool proof plan for a successful social event. Determined to ensure that every guests needs were taken care of she had spent the majority of Sunday creating a survey for each of them to complete concerning their favourite refreshments and entertainment; a folder with a section for each attendee which would hold the results of her research and finally making official invitations for them all.
Quinn had informed her over the phone that evening that it was completely unnecessary, as long as they all had food and drink and somewhere to sit then there would be no problem, but Rachel had insisted that the night simply could not go ahead unless she was fully prepared for any situation that may arise.
A sentiment that was not shared by the rest of the group when she had handed out the information packs and invitations on Monday. They had all agreed with Quinn's initial reaction, claiming that they were just watching movies. However, as soon as Rachel began explaining just how important it was for her, as their hostess, to know their dietary needs so she could cater for everybody, they all muttered their defeat and accepted the questionnaires.
Whether their acquiescence was because of her argument or the fact that Santana had chosen that moment to walk past them and suspiciously glance their way Rachel didn't know, though it did present a further problem for her.
Despite her previous decision not to invite the Latina Rachel couldn't ignore the uneasy flood of guilt that washed over her whenever Santana was around. She knew better than anyone how it felt to be excluded from group activities and she did not want to inflict that upon anyone. Even if she was risking her life by approaching the Head Cheerio.
And so, ensuring that there were an appropriate amount of witnesses around at the end of the day, Rachel timidly approached Santana at her locker.
"Santana?" She mumbled nervously, holding her books close to her chest and ducking her head low so as to not make deliberate eye contact. "Could I talk to you for a moment? Please?"
"What do you want, dwarf?" Santana sighed, continuing to rummage through her locker without sparing a glance in Rachel's direction.
"Well… I'm not sure if you've heard or not…" Rachel began, taking a well needed breath and clearing her throat as she forced herself to stand up a little straighter. "But I am hosting a movie night/girls night at my house on Friday night. Now, I'm fully aware of the current…tension…between you and certain members of the group but as a fellow female member of the glee club I feel that it is only right that you are invited."
Holding her breath, Rachel watched as Santana momentarily paused then turned to face her, a questioning glimmer shining in her dark chocolate eyes though her face remained impassive.
"I've already got plans," Santana finally answered. "But thanks," she added, pushing her locker door closed and brushing past Rachel as she walked off down the corridor leaving the diva to stare dumbfounded after her.
She had expected some sort of backlash from Santana, accepted it even, so the complete lack of hostility came as a total surprise. When she had relayed the information to Quinn that evening the blonde had merely shrugged causing Rachel to wonder whether Quinn's sudden protectiveness over her extended to Santana as well.
With that one last obstacle taken care of Rachel set about implementing every detail that came back from her questionnaires. She spent the week picking up different snacks from the store, organising musical play lists that would satisfy everybody's tastes and arranging the living room furniture in a way so that the TV was visibly accessible to everybody, much to the displeasure of her fathers.
So by the time Friday finally rolled around Rachel was a ball of nervous energy when she arrived at school. Experiencing a last minute panic that she might have forgotten something, she reached into her bag and pulled the folder that held all of the information for the movie night and began checking then re-checking her many to do lists. She became so wrapped up in doing so that she failed to notice Chelsea Walker step into her path and collided into the girl with so much force that both girls dropped their books to the floor and stumbled off balance.
"What the HELL, Man hands?" Chelsea snapped, glaring viciously at the small diva.
"Chelsea! I am so, so sorry," Rachel breathed out, quickly scrambling to the floor in panic and gathering Chelsea's books together as well as her own. When she stood back up again she found Chelsea still staring at her, her hands resting on her Cheerio uniformed hips.
Although not one of the more popular girls in school, the cheerleader still held the traditional Cheerio attitude. Looking upon the girl now, Rachel realised that she was nearly as intimidating as Quinn had been and just as nasty.
"What's the matter, Berry? Couldn't see me past that giant schnoze of yours?" She smirked. "Really, for the safety of those around you, you should seriously consider getting a nose job. That thing could poke an eye out!"
Feeling her bottom lip quiver slightly Rachel quickly averted her eyes from the malicious stare of the cheerleader and self consciously raised a hand to cover her nose, vaguely registering the approving laughter from the two Cheerio's that flanked Chelsea's sides.
"And you should seriously consider getting a face lift," Quinn's voice boomed from behind her. Twisting around so that she could see Quinn properly Rachel was shocked to find the blonde staring at the three girls with a terrifyingly formidable glare.
"I mean look at you," Quinn continued, stepping closer to the girls with an evil smirk pulling at the corners of her mouth. "I thought Cheerio's were supposed to be pretty. And it's not even as if you can fall back on your personality because…oh that's right… you don't have one!"
Watching Quinn advance on the three Cheerio's Rachel was strongly reminded of HBIC Quinn. The way she commanded the attention of everybody in the corridor as she stepped to Chelsea and faced her down, the way Chelsea, lost for words, seemed to deflate and flounder in front of them.
She felt a great sense of pride and affection that this was all in her defence.
"Y…you can't speak to me like that, Fabray. You're a nobody now," Chelsea spluttered, taking a step back and bumping into her two friends.
"Really?" Quinn laughed derisively and confidently raising one eyebrow as she continued to stare threateningly at her victim. "I'm sure your Head Cheerleader would have something to say about that. She is my best friend after all."
Chelsea's already wavering confidence dropped completely for a moment then she quickly composed her self and straightened her shoulders in defiance.
"Screw you, Quinn. I'm not scared of you. You may act like some kind of bad ass now but everyone at this school still see's you as the frigid ice queen bitch that gave her baby away without a second thought!"
Rachel's gasp went unnoticed amongst the sudden outbreak of chatter that followed Chelsea's statement and it served to add an extra surge of confidence within her until she looked back to Quinn and noticed the unaffected, almost pitying, look upon the blondes face.
"And I still see you as the girl that still wet the bed at 12 years old…wait…or was it 13?" Quinn hit back with a spiteful grin, smiling more broadly when Chelsea flushed red with embarrassment. "Now take your books and your two little friends and run along before I start talking about freshman year at cheer camp."
Staring awestruck at Quinn, Rachel barely felt Chelsea snatching the books out of her hands before storming off down the corridor with her two friends trailing along behind her.
Once Chelsea and her friends had disappeared round the corner Quinn looked down at Rachel and her expression softened immediately. There was no trace of hostility left in those hazel eyes and a warm smile pulled at the corners of her lips as she held out a hand for Rachel to take.
"Thanks," Rachel smiled shyly as she was pulled gently to her feet.
"No problem."
"You didn't have to do that though, you know?" Rachel replied uneasily.
"What? Help you up?" Quinn laughed.
"No. Stand up for me," Rachel chuckled. "Although it was very much appreciated. I just don't want you to get into anymore trouble because of me."
"Oh trust me, beating down Chelsea Walker would be so worth getting in trouble for," Quinn grinned.
"I understand completely," Rachel smiled in return. "But Quinn, first Azimio and now Chelsea…"
"Rach, I'm your friend. I'm not going to stand by and let Chelsea fucking Walker say things like that to you," Quinn told her passionately.
"Language Fabray!" Rachel teasingly chastised.
"At least I didn't get a detention this time," Quinn responded, smiling sheepishly at the brunette.
"Uh huh," Rachel nodded, briefly looking away so that Quinn wouldn't see the bright smile that escaped the brunette.
"So is it a hobby of yours, coming to the aid of damsels in distress? Or am I just special?" Rachel continued coyly as she leant back against the wall. She watched Quinn as a smirk replaced an unidentifiable emotion on the blondes face just before Quinn took a step closer and leaned in.
"You're special," She whispered, her lips lightly brushing Rachel's ear as she spoke causing the diva's breath to hitch and her mind to become deliciously blank. "Besides, girls totally dig that kind of thing, at least that's what B says," Quinn shrugged, pulling away and giving Rachel the space she needed to be able to breathe.
"S..So you're just using me to look good in front of potential suitors?" Rachel replied, relieved to find that her voice completely betrayed the tornado that was still sweeping through her body.
"Maybe," Quinn smirked.
"Oh," Rachel said, adopting a mock pout as she nodded thoughtfully at Quinn. "Well any potential suitors will have to earn the Rachel Berry seal of approval before they can get anywhere near you."
"Oh is that right?" Quinn laughed, her tongue darting out to swipe at the top corner of her lip.
Rachel's eyes caught the action and felt her stomach jolt as more debris fuelled her inner tornado further on. She had to mentally kick herself in order to gain enough composure to continue.
"Yes. As your friend…"
"Best friend," Quinn corrected, fixing Rachel with a meaningful look.
Feeling positively giddy at the comment, the brunette looked shyly away, her mouth breaking out into a beaming smile as she brushed her hair behind her ear.
"As your best friend…" She emphasised, linking her arm through Quinn's as they pushed away from the wall and proceeded down the corridor. "I feel it is my duty to make sure that you date someone who is worthy of your time and effort. I will not have you dating any female versions of Noah Puckerman, as I have said many times before you deserve much better than that. You are quite the catch Quinn Fabray and I have no doubt that girls will be queuing around the block to date you."
"You obviously have me confused with someone that actually has a love life," Quinn snorted.
"Oh hush! You're easily the prettiest girl I've ever met. You know you could have your pick of just about anyone you set your eyes on."
"Yeah, right," Quinn mumbled. "So how are you feeling about tonight? Excited?" She quickly continued upon seeing the quizzical frown Rachel gave her when she had answered.
"I guess," Rachel began, still looking at Quinn as though she wanted the blonde to elaborate on her previous statement.
"Well you're all prepared right? I mean, you have your lists and everything."
Sensing Quinn's desire to change the subject, Rachel pushed her questions to the back of her mind and focused on the topic of that evening.
"Yes. I've got all the food, I've rearranged my living room… several times… and play lists have all been organised in case people want to listen to music at any point. I just have a few more things to pick up after school and then I'm all set."
"I'm looking forward to tonight," Quinn told her, smiling affectionately at her friends exuberance.
"Really?" Rachel frowned, pulling away from Quinn as they reached her classroom. "I just hope that everyone has a good time."
"Stop worrying. It'll be great," Quinn reassured her, placing a gentle hand on Rachel's shoulder and squeezing slightly. "You'll be great," She added in a whisper.
"Promise?" Rachel whispered back.
"I promise," Quinn said, jumping slightly when the bell signalling the start of class rang out above them. "But now I really have to get to class because I am going to be so late."
"Oh my… I didn't realise the time. Quinn, you should have said something, you didn't need to walk me to my class."
"I wanted to," Quinn shrugged. "Besides… girls dig that kind of thing, right?" She teased.
Shaking her head Rachel bit down on a grin and fixed Quinn with a stern look.
"You're going to get another detention because of me," Rachel warned.
"It was worth it," Quinn winked.
"Oh…Just go," Rachel huffed, rolling her eyes at the flirty way that Quinn was conversing with her.
"Ok-ok. I'm going. See you later Berry," Quinn grinned with a wave then hurried down the hall.
Rachel watched her until the blonde disappeared from view then allowed her smile to reflect the overwhelming sense of excitement and joy she felt whenever Quinn was around hr. Hugging her books close to her chest she spun around and entered the classroom, all concerns about the evening washed away.
Quinn hated Friday lunch times. It was the only day of the week that Finn didn't have to rush off to football practice or to the school gym which meant that, as he had hardly ever ate lunch with Rachel then the brunette was booked in for girlfriend duties.
Duties that included actions such as holding Finn's hand whilst eating and laughing at his jokes, allowing him to sit with his arm around her shoulders once they had finished eating and letting him kiss her whenever he wanted.
And as it made Quinn feel physically sick to watch she thought it best that she didn't hang around them when there was a huge chance of her regurgitating her food all over them. So she had rebuffed Rachel's invitation to sit with them every week and instead found her solace by sitting in the far corner of the lunch hall catching up with any homework that had suffered due to the amount of time she spent with Rachel outside of school.
Glancing quickly over to the table that held Rachel and Finn, she set down her lunch tray and slumped heavily down into the seat. She pulled out her English book and folder then plugged one ear piece from her I-pod into her ear and began to read.
With music blaring into one ear and concentrating on the words in front of her she became blissfully unaware of everything and everyone that was around her, including the figure that had approached her from behind and was staring over her shoulder.
"Why the fuck are you sat here on your own looking like a fucking loser, Fabray?" Santana said loudly and so causing Quinn to jerk so fiercely that she almost sent her open bottle of water flying across the table.
"What the fuck, S?" She growled, holding a hand to her heaving chest as her heart pounded erratically against her rib cage.
"Awe…Did I scare big bad Q?" Santana mockingly asked, arranging her lips into a self satisfied smirk.
"You are such an ass," Quinn breathed out, though the slight smile she wore betrayed the tenseness of her voice.
"Thanks. But seriously, eating lunch on your own…and reading? You do realise you look one step away from complete loserdom, right?"
"I've got homework to do," Quinn shrugged, picking up her pen scribbling out her last paragraph.
"That makes it better?" Santana frowned. "Where's the dwarf anyway? You guys are practically attached at the hip these days…or should I say vaginas?"
Choosing to ignore her friends comment Quinn lifted her Literature book up in front of her and pursed her lips.
"She's having lunch with Finn," She replied in an overly casual tone which Santana was quick to pick up on.
"Ah, the boyfriend," Santana nodded, eyeing Quinn wonderingly before scanning the room then letting out a sigh. "Oh yeah, they're sat with Britt and McCripple pants," She finished bitterly.
"S!" Quinn chastised her half heartedly. She knew that if Santana had the decency not to call her out on her jealousy over Rachel and Finn then it was only right for Quinn to return the favour.
"What?" The Latina asked innocently before rolling her eyes at Quinn's knowing stare then taking a seat next to the blonde. "So I had an interesting little chat with Chelsea today."
"Is that even possible?" Quinn asked nonchalantly, picking up several fries and popping them into her mouth.
"She told me that you cussed her out in the halls this morning for talking to Berry," Santana continued as if Quinn had never spoken.
"She wasn't talking to Rachel. She was being her usual nasty and vindictive self. And I didn't cuss her out, I just told her a few home truths."
"Yeah well, whatever you said really pissed her off. I swear, I can't even get her to look that mad," Santana replied, and even through the longing tone of her friends voice Quinn could detect a hint of pride hidden within it. Pride that Quinn was still able to pull off her former HBIC attitude.
"She told me I should seriously re-evaluate my friendship with you because no Head Cheerio should associate themselves with someone who has let themselves go as much as you have," Santana explained, smiling to herself when Quinn let out a snort at the suggestion. "And that I definitely should not be seen with someone who has been spending so much time with loser freaks like Rachel Berry."
"Oh really?" Quinn asked, quirking an eyebrow. "And what did you say?"
"I'm sat here, aren't I?" Santana frowned matter of factly. "I told her to mind her own fucking business! And I reminded her that you were at the top of the pyramid within your first month whereas she's still firmly at the bottom after two years."
Catching Santana's eye Quinn grinned in affection at her friend before they both laughed out loud at the image the Head Cheerio presented.
"Seriously though Q, what the fuck is going on between you and her?" Santana exclaimed. "You're sickening to watch!"
"Nothing, we're just friends," Quinn rushed out in a whisper, her eyes darting quickly around the surrounding tables then over to the table where Rachel, Finn, Artie and Brittany were looking curiously over at them. "And could you keep your voice down? People are staring."
All too aware of the continued stares of their four friends Quinn looked back to them and noticed Rachel smiling tentatively over at her. She returned the smile which only brightened when Rachel beamed back and gave a tiny wave.
"Urgh, like I said…sickening."
"Then don't watch," Quinn retorted, not breaking eye contact with Rachel until the diva's attention was pulled away by Finn wrapping his arm around her shoulder and kissing her cheek. Feeling that familiar pang of jealousy in the pit of her stomach Quinn dropped he eyes to the floor and pushed her lunch tray away from her.
"She has a boyfriend," Santana gently told her. "A shitty one sure but still…"
"We're just friends San," Quinn sighed, her voice devoid of any emotion.
"Friends don't eye fuck each other from across the room."
"We're not-"
"You are!" Santana interrupted. "Look, I'm just… I think you should tread carefully where she's concerned."
"I'm not stupid Santana. I know she loves Finn, I know she's straight and I know I'll never have a real chance with her. Trust me…I've accepted that," She whispered bitterly.
"Have you? Really? Because every time I've seen you around her you've acted like some love sick puppy. You walk her to class, you carry her books. Hell, you even wait until the last second to make plans with me just in case she asks you to do something. You're doing everything that Gigantor should be doing except that he's getting all the perks!"
Feeling a rush of anger towards the girl sat next to her Quinn pushed her chair back an inch and leant dangerously close to Santana's face. Her comment had struck a chord which Quinn had long since memorised and she needed no help in being reminded of it.
"So this is really about you being pissed at me for not spending time with you?" She hissed, her face red with anger and hurt. She barely noticed the equally hurt look on Santana's face before the Latina bit back her own reply.
"No, it's about me not wanting to see you get hurt!"
"San…" Quinn sighed, all of her anger evaporating as a wave of guilt washed over her. It wasn't often that Santana expressed her feelings so when she did you knew that it was serious.
"Whatever, I don't care. Do what you want," Santana told her, trying to cover up her moment of weakness by acting indifferent. She stood up to leave and was just about to turn when Quinn quickly reached out and grabbed her arm.
"I'm sorry," She muttered sincerely. "I'll be careful, I promise."
Her eyes fixed firmly on the floor, Santana sniffed and shrugged.
"Like I said, do what you want," She repeated though he tone was less hostile than her previous attempt. Quinn watched her take a slow breath then finally look up. "I gotta go see Sylvester. She wants to go over the new Cheerio's dietary regime," She added, rolling her eyes exasperatedly.
"My number one reason why I don't miss being on the Cheerio's. Sue's crazy liquid diets!"
"Oh please! You still miss it. Being around hot flexible girls in short skirts all day, what's not to miss?" Santana teased.
"Nmm, the uniform doesn't really do it for me," Quinn frowned.
"But if Berry was wearing it?" Santana asked knowingly.
Quinn remained silent though the blush that suddenly covered her cheeks gave Santana the answer she wasn't really looking for.
"Oh gross!" Santana winced. "You're picturing her in it right now aren't you?"
"Not exactly in it…" Quinn smirked, her eyes lighting up at the images running through her mind and at the disgusted look on the cheerleaders face.
"Oh god, I'm leaving," Santana cried out, firmly holding up a hand to stop Quinn from saying anything further.
Quinn laughed as she watched her friend walk away then automatically dropped her gaze to Rachel again. The brunette smiled brightly at her once their eyes met and Quinn winked back, feeling her heart lift as Rachel's cheeks blushed a pretty pink before she winked back.
Rachel was panicking. After receiving a message from her daddy that he had picked up the last items that she needed to complete the set up of the upcoming movie night she had thought that everything was ready to go.
So when Brittany approached her by her locker at the end of the day informing her that she was looking forward to seeing Howard again and that she had missed him, Rachel stared at her in dumbfounded confusion and slowly asked who Howard was.
"He's my protector!" Brittany casually answered. "He keeps the bad guys away. Quinn is bringing him, isn't she? She asked when Rachel failed to respond to her.
"Ugh…" Rachel stuttered, unable to bear the fearful look on Brittany's face. "S-Sure. Of course she is."
"Yay! I can't wait. We're going to have such a good time," the blonde cheerleader squealed, jumping up and down then pulling Rachel into a tight hug. Rachel stood mouth agape as Brittany let go of her and bounced joyfully out of the classroom then she slowly picked her cell phone out of her pocket and automatically sought out Quinn's number.
"Hey you," Quinn answered happily after the first ring.
"Howard?" Rachel stated immediately.
"What?"
"Howard, Quinn! Who is Howard? Brittany has just informed me that she is looking forward to seeing Howard tonight. Quinn… I can't have boys at my house when my dads aren't home!"
"Oh wow… Ok, relax Rach," Quinn laughed. "Howard isn't a boy. He's just something that Santana…"
"I don't care. If it's not a boy then I need to make sure that Howard is there tonight. Why did no-one mention it to me earlier?" She demanded huffily.
"I'll find him, ok! Don't worry, Rach. Everything is going to be ok."
"Oh it better be, Quinn Fabray. Or I will be holding you personally responsible!" And with that Rachel hung up the phone and stalked out of the school towards the parking lot where her dad was waiting for her.
It wasn't too long however before her fears that Quinn wouldn't find Howard got the better of her. She had just finished putting the finishing touches to the living room when she received a text message from Quinn informing her that she had just arrived home and would start looking for Howard straight away.
Straight away just wasn't quick enough for Rachel. And so, calling out to her dads that she was leaving, she picked up her cell phone and keys then ran the three streets to Quinn's apartment building.
"Have you found him? It? Whatever it is?" Rachel breathlessly asked the moment Quinn's voice came over the intercom.
"Rachel?"
"Yes Quinn, it's me. Have you found Howard yet?" the diva repeated impatiently.
"I just, like, literally walked through the door."
"Right," Rachel nodded to herself. "Well then I'll help you look. Come on, buzz me in."
As soon as the door opened Rachel flew into the building and entered the elevator, impatiently tapping her foot as she watched the red numbers above the lift doors count up until they finally reached Quinn's floor. She squeezed herself through the tiny gap between the doors as they were opening and hurried down the hallway, not bothering to smile as Quinn opened the door for her and greeted her with a welcoming grin.
"We need to find it Quinn. My chances of hosting a successful evening rest on Howard," She rushed out as she walked straight into Quinn's bedroom and began rummaging through the walk in closet.
"Hey, calm down. He's here somewhere," Quinn tried gently. "Rach… you don't even know what you're looking for."
Letting out a long sigh, Rachel paused and stood up with her hands on her hips then turned round and looked at Quinn with raised eyebrows; barely registering the amused look on her friends face.
"Well…what is it?"
"It's a duck," Quinn replied simply.
"A duck?"
"Yeah, well a cuddly duck. Santana gave it to B when we were younger."
"So my carefully planned out evening could be ruined by the absence of some toy!"
"Rachel!" Quinn said reproachfully. "It's not just some toy. When Santana really got into horror movies Brittany was too scared to watch them with us so S brought her this duck and told her that as long as it was around then none of the bad guys would be able to get us. She said that it had magic powers that repelled all evil or supernatural things away," She explained, a wistful smile pulling at her lips as she fondly remembered the memory.
"Ha, didn't work on Santana," Rachel snorted. "So why do you have Howard if it's Brittany's?"
"The last movie night we had was at my old house so when we moved it got moved with us. "
"So he could be anywhere then?" Rachel asked, panic evident in her voice once again.
"He'll probably be in my room somewhere. Look, just let me take a shower and then we'll look for it, ok?"
"No. We haven't got time for that. You shower, I'll start looking," She told her, delivering her with a look that clearly said the matter was not up for discussion. Accepting defeat, Quinn nodded once promising to be as quick as possible even as Rachel returned to her search.
Once the closet had been thoroughly searched Rachel moved onto the large oak chest of drawers at the other side of the room, taking a moment to scan over the photographs that were taped to the side of the mirror that hung above it.
There were several pictures of Quinn huddled closely together with Brittany and Santana. One that showed all three of them in their Cheerio's uniform, one of them sat on a couch in somebody's living room holding a battered looking plush toy which Rachel immediately took to be Howard then many more pictures of them just hanging out. A photo which had been torn down one side showed Quinn smiling happily with her mom on one side and a suited arm hanging over the younger blondes shoulder.
Rachel beamed as her eyes roamed to the next photo, a snap of herself and Quinn standing side by side laughing. She could remember that day vividly. The whole of the glee club had been goofing off in the quad during lunch one afternoon, Artie had begun rapping and Mike had provided the dance moves which Sam and Finn had promptly tried to copy. The result had been disastrous.
Shaking herself away from the memory Rachel continued searching through the drawers, blushing deeply when she stumbled across Quinn's lingerie drawer and quickly closing it before deciding that Howard would probably not be squashed into one of the drawers. She hastily moved around the room, looking behind the chair in the corner and under the bed. Everywhere she could think of that the bulky toy could be hidden.
Feeling frustrated by her lack of success Rachel dropped heavily down onto the bed, groaning as the bounce of the mattress knocked off a folder that had been perched on the edge of the bed. She rolled over to immediately pick up the scattered mess on the floor but froze as her eyes caught on an image of a petite but beautiful brunette.
Intrigued, Rachel picked up the folder and laid it on the bed; sliding the picture out of the file and staring at it. Quinn was poised next to the brunette, their arms wrapped around each other's waist with their faces pushed flush together whilst they smiled widely at the camera.
Realising that the girl in the photograph must be Jamie and feeling an overwhelming desire to find out more about her Rachel picked up the next picture. Her jaw clenched as a rush of emotion rushed through her and she dropped the glossy paper back onto the bed. This picture was by far more intimate than the previous shot.
Jamie, wearing nothing more than a skimpy vest and boy shorts, sat straddling a similarly dressed Quinn. Her long legs wrapped around the blonde's waist. Quinn's forehead pressed tenderly against Jamie's temple, her eyes closed and a lazy smile gracing her lips whilst the brunette smiled coyly into the camera as she took the photo herself.
"Look who I found!"
Rachel jumped guiltily to her feet at the sound of Quinn's voice in the hallway, the first photograph she had looked at still pinched between her fingertips. She stared open mouthed at Quinn for a brief moment, her eyes roving over the freshly showered blonde now wearing skin tight jeans and a simple yellow racer-back tank top.
She swallowed upon noticing the ragged looking duck in her hands and forced a relieved smile out, trying her best to sound excited that Howard had been found to cover the guilt she felt at practically being caught snooping.
"You found him!" She beamed.
"Yeah. In the airing cupboard. My mom must have put it there, who knows what goes through her crazy head sometimes," Quinn shrugged, walking further into the room and dropping the duck onto the bed then raising her eyebrows as she saw the scattered remains of her folder over the floor. "What happened here?"
"I'm sorry," Rachel winced. "I kinda jumped on your bed and everything just went everywhere," She explained, holding her hands up and showing Quinn the photo she had stumbled across.
"So I see," Quinn laughed.
"I wasn't going through your stuff, I promise. I was just trying to gather everything up and put it back but I sort of got distracted by them."
"Ok," Quinn nodded understandingly. "I didn't realise I still had them," She added, taking the photo away from Rachel and looking down at it.
"That's Jamie, right?"
"Mmhmm."
"She's very pretty," Rachel admitted begrudgingly. Of course she was pretty. What else had she expected, really.
"She was a piece of work," Quinn said breathing in and staring fondly at the image. "But yeah, she was pretty."
Rachel nodded, swallowing down a lump that had formed in her throat as she prepared herself to say her next words.
"The two of you looked very happy together."
"We were, for a while, I guess," Quinn shrugged, bending over and slotting the picture back into the folder.
"So what changed. I mean, I know that you said you ended it because you didn't want anything too serious but… looking at the two of you in those photographs, you look for use of a better word…completely in love," Rachel pushed further, unsure if she even wanted to know the answer or not.
"I…It…It's complicated," Quinn stuttered. "Would you mind if we changed the subject, please?"
"Of course not," Rachel replied quickly, her eyes following Quinn to the dresser where she placed the folder onto the desk then crossed the room to disappear into the closet. Rachel's eyes remained fixed on the folder as the lump she had tried to swallow down forced itself into her chest. She could still see Jamie straddling Quinn, the image permanently etched in her mind.
An all too familiar feeling twisted in her stomach as she thought of reasons why Quinn still had the pictures when they had broken up so long ago. Rachel had been quick to burn every ounce of evidence of Jesse when he moved back to Vocal Adrenaline and, as far as she could tell, there were no pictures of Noah or Finn anywhere. So why was the blonde still holding on to memories of her ex-girlfriend?
And why was Quinn so hesitant over talking about the girl? The more Rachel thought about the more convinced she was of the one answer that repeatedly entered her mind. Quinn was not totally over Jamie and that thought hurt Rachel more than she was prepared to admit.