Chapter Nineteen

"Joseph!"

Crap.

The two lovebirds shot horrified looks at each other. How did Joe's dad know they were in this part of the hallway?

"Joe, what were you thinking? Did you not hear me when I said—"

"Dad, let me explain."

"No, you're not explaining anything. You're coming with me." Mr. Hart had a firm grip of Joe's wrist. Shit, why did there have to be so much pain when it came to this guy?

"Mr. Hart," Quinn immediately spoke up. "I'm sorry. I was just—"

"Quinn. I'm sorry, but I don't want to hear it."

Joe was just about sick of this. It was only two minutes. Two minutes of kissing on the lips, all innocent and steady. His dad acts like it's a death trap. What more could he possibly do?

Joe knew it: nothing. He wasn't going to let him drag him around anymore.

Teen Jesus tried shaking his wrist free. "Dad, let me go!"

"You're not going to do this, Joe."

Joe triumphed to get his arm free, and stepped back so he would be beside Quinn. "You're embarrassing me, Dad. We already promised you that we're not going to sin or anything. Why don't you believe us?"

"It's not that I don't believe you. Haven't you realized that—"

"What's going on?"

Mrs. Hart stepped out of the auditorium as soon as she heard Joe and his father going back and forth. She spotted her husband's stern look, Joe's frustrated frown, and Quinn's worried expression. "Joe…what were you and Quinn doing?"

Quinn waved her hands at her. "Nothing, we were leaving. Right now."

Before Quinn made it to the auditorium door, Mrs. Hart stopped her in her tracks. "Don't lie to me, Quinn. You know I don't like lies."

"We were…weren't we?"

Joe nodded, but then caught a glimpse of his father. He was not happy at all. Man, the frown marks on his face got a little deeper. He's gonna regret it later on.

"Joe…" Mrs. Hart was still looking at the blonde before making it to her son. "Were you and Quinn out here…"

The dreadlocked boy held his hands in front of him. "Just let me explain, okay?"

Mr. Hart was beyond from not listening. He pushed Quinn slightly towards the auditorium door, not even paying attention to Joe's begging. "While you talk about that, I'm taking this child to her mother."

"Joe!"

"Dad, leave Quinn alone."

"It's not in discussion, Joe."

Not in discussion? He clearly came out here, spotted the two making out, and then confronted the two. Now he's taking Quinn away, and saying that it's not in discussion anymore?

Joe was just about tired of this. This needed to stop.

He ran in front of his father and his girlfriend, glaring the man straight in the eye. "Dad, please. Let me explain, and you can say whatever you want."

All Mr. Hart did was scoff. The next thing Joe might say, for all he knew, was that all of his new friends in this so-called New Directions group had a boyfriend or girlfriend. Such a fad.

"Remember when you took me to Christian camp last summer?"

"What does Christian camp have to do with this?"

"That's not the point, Dad."

This had better be going somewhere. Mr. Hart stood there, impatient and his arms folded.

"Anyway, Christian camp. We took a session our second to last week about forgiveness. Do you remember first John? Do you remember? Chapter one, verse nine."

For someone was a strictly avid Christian, Mr. Hart didn't have much memory of all of the verses in the Bible.

With a huff, Joe looked at him again and recited the verse. "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."

Mr. Hart's response was just an eye roll.

"If Quinn and I did do something wrong, all we do is confess this stuff, and God will forgive us. Look at all the sins people have committed in this world so far. Look at those people at Matthew Phillips."

Neither one of Joe's parents never expected for Joe to bring back Matthew Phillips in any conversation.

"In a news section on the school internet, it said something about a junior boy that got to about nineteen percent of girls back in 2008. Then he threatened to kill his own teachers. It was related to some of his family members being stabbed to death right in front of him."

Mr. Hart couldn't believe what he was hearing. All of this Matthew Phillips crap was too much for Joe to be looking into. Was this the reason he wanted to be with Quinn? Because of some fool students at a terrible high school?

"Wouldn't God forgive him after being sent to the hospital and getting all of those rehabilitation sessions?"

"Joseph—"

"And what about Quinn? She already told us that she got pregnant before. After all of that craziness, she got help from her church, and she's in good condition now. God forgave her then. If she happens to do anything wrong but with me, then God will forgive her again."

Teen Jesus took one step closer to his dad, mentally pleading for him to understand. He couldn't tell what his response would be since he has that plain look on his face.

"Don't you remember the story of when you were mad at my uncle all those years, and never got to apologize to him before he died?"

Man, that was a crazy family feud Mr. Hart would never forget.

This happened a little before Joe's aunt died. Uncle Robby was a bipolar man. He had received his first job as a salesman around the age of twenty-three.

He pretty much lost it out of nowhere one day. He came home and just sat on the couch, staring at a blank TV screen. Mrs. Hart was only Mr. Hart's girlfriend at the time. She went to check on him and bring a drink to ease the tension.

It only made it worse. It turns out that Uncle Robby didn't want to be bothered with. He took the glass, poured the liquid on the floor, broke the glass, and aimed it at Joe's mother. The man was ridiculously crazy. Anyone and anything that triggered him, he would go against it.

God Lord, Joe definitely wouldn't be alive if she had been killed.

Mr. Hart held him down, as well as Joe's other aunts and uncles that were there at the moment. The police were reported to the house, pulling Uncle Robby to the police car and taking him away.

Years and years would pass, and Uncle Robby didn't change a bit. He would struggle with the doctors in the mental hospital where he was placed. He never took his medicine, or even decided to even try to turn his life around for the sake of his health and his family.

About four years ago, he got out of the hospital, never taking any meds or even getting himself a job. He would always ask his family for money since he couldn't afford food and heat for himself. Almost everyone turned him down.

Not even Mr. Hart would help his own brother out. He was still utterly pissed at when he aimed the broken glass at his wife. Every night Uncle Robby lived back then, he'd imagine himself stabbing the shit out of him in his sleep.

Then one day, he suffered a heart attack and died in a car crash. It was very brutal. Mr. Hart couldn't even get the image out of his head. Glass shattered and glued to his brother's head. Blood poured everywhere. In fact, the only thing that held Uncle Robby up was the vehicle and the tree he crashed in.

And the towing company had to pull the car away.

The day after, Mr. Hart paced around, wondering if avoiding Uncle Robby was the right thing to do. He tortured his family way before Joe was born. He wouldn't see his own wife again.

Then in another sense, they really didn't have much good moments together. They could have, though. They could've been going to baseball games, fooling around at family reunions, and fishing at lakes. They've been so separate since Uncle Robby went crazy.

If only Mr. Hart had the chance to say goodbye. He shouldn't have been mean to him all this time. They were still family. They could've been something amazingly memorable. But no. It was all ruined.

"You wanted to apologize to Uncle Robby for everything bad that has been going on, but you never got the chance to, nor you knew that he accepted your apology," Joe continued. "God knew that you were sorry, right? He probably already told Uncle Robby all this, and accepted it without you knowing."

Joe could be right. There could be a possibility that bipolar disorders and car crashes didn't even exist in heaven. Uncle Robby was in a better place now. That also meant that he got to be sent to God's temple. He probably heard Mr. Hart's apologies and prayers, and discussed all of this with his brother.

God was bound to forgive him…right?

"God forgave you then, Dad. He's gonna forgive me and Quinn if we ever made any mistakes, too."

Quinn couldn't explain the whole forgiveness thing any better. If she were hosting an awards show, she'd give all the awards to her wonderful boyfriend for his heart-felt speech.

She looked up at the man with promising eyes. All that flew through her mind was God forgiving the poor blonde for premarital sex at sixteen years old. That has got to be the worst mistake she has ever made.

Joe put his hands behind his back, waiting for a response from his father. "So…is it okay, Dad?"

Mr. Hart took a minute to think about it. As much as he agreed with Teen Jesus, it was a different situation. Mr. Hart's situation had something to do with sibling rivalry or whatever the hell it was. Joe's here dealing with sexual interaction with a girl he only met back in February.

Mr. Hart wouldn't expect to say yes when two irrelevant issues were put on the table.

However, they both had one thing in common, though: forgiveness.

Joe could be smarter than his father had ever thought. God probably forgave Mr. Hart for ignoring his brother all this time and not caring about what he was going through. I'm pretty sure God forgave little Joe for the glass break in the window from a while back.

Maybe…maybe Joe was right all along.

He watched as the two teens stood by each other, holding hands behind their backs. It was all irresistible. It was all young love. It was too precious to bring down.

It was also too inconsiderate to keep up with this limit rule anyway.

"Joe…you're only so young, and you have so much to learn and accomplish while your mom and I aren't homeschooling you anymore."

The man's voice sounded calmer than earlier. This was getting nerve-wracking.

The dreadlocked boy's fingers trembled while holding the blonde's hand. He had no idea what Mr. Hart's answer was. All he knew was that if he declined, then he and Quinn wouldn't be as normal of a couple as the rest of the school is, and his father would have to strictly check on him each second.

Mr. Hart took a deep breath and looked at the two again.

They were so sweet together. He actually liked it when they were hanging out at dinner last month. This was the closest friend Joe has ever gotten since he came here. Quinn brought the best out of him. He made him go out and explore so many amazing things Mr. Hart never saw when he was Joe's age. And in a way, Joe's dad was learning, too.

Quinn was one of the best things that happened to this whole family, actually.

"I know we all make mistakes in this world, ones I don't want you to run into, especially," Mr. Hart continued. His son nodded to his response. He watched as his father gave a promising smile. "But of course, God and I will always have room in us to forgive you and help you guide through."

Quinn and Joe smiled at each other, and then back at Mr. Hart. That was the answer they both were waiting for.

"So, is…is that…" Joe was so excited; he couldn't even finish the rest of his sentence.

Mr. Hart nodded in assurance.

Quinn and Joe could just clap and hug the man. That was a relief from all of the tension they had to go through.

Joe looked up at his dad, giving off a half smile and putting a hand on his father's arm. "You know what, Dad? I forgive you, too."

Mr. Hart looked confused. "You forgive me?" Teen Jesus nodded. "For what?"

"Well, you kinda had a hard time with Uncle Robby, I'll agree."

The old man chuckled. "You don't have to worry about me, Joseph. Just worry about you."

Wow. He and Mrs. Hart must've been sharing the same advice back and forth. It sure did seem familiar to the young Christian boy.

The two shared a father-son hug. Behind them, Mrs. Hart smiled at them getting along, and then glanced to Quinn. She was happily watching Mr. Hart hug his son until he broke into pieces. It reminded the blonde of how she and Russell used to be. It was such an adorable moment.

Joe and Mr. Hart finally let loose of each other. Joe turned to his girlfriend beside him. She couldn't be any happier. She caught herself trapped in Joe's comfy arms. It calmed all of her nerves down. She felt like she was asleep at home under the soft covers and her head resting on the big pillows.

Joe was so soft and comforting. Thanks to that little clearing, he could hug the blonde all he wanted. He loved her so much. It reminded Mrs. Hart of her and her husband when they were first dating. They were so cute, so charming.

Mr. Hart felt like he succeeded. It's nice to see his son happy again.

The ringtone to "Someone Like You" played a couple of times on Quinn's phone.

The blonde rolled over in the bed, moaning and covering her ears. Who the hell calls at seven in the morning when a girl is trying to get her beauty rest? Seriously. All the hours in the day, and they want to call now? It was irritating Quinn badly, and she just wanted to throw her phone out the window.

"Never mind, I'll find someone like you…"

The damn song kept playing on her cell over and over. She couldn't take it much longer.

Quinn rolled back over and grabbed the phone, answering the call with a droopy morning voice. "Hello?"

"Oh, were you still asleep?"

Apparently.

"Rachel, what is it? I was trying to get more rest."

"Oh, Finn wanted me to remind you about a New Directions gathering today at noon."

The blonde struggled to get up and hear what Rachel was saying. "What do you mean a New Directions gathering?"

On the other line, Rachel was already dressed and looking through a magazine crossword puzzle. "Well, Finn and I wanted to have a fun little outing with all of the graduating seniors and the undergrads that are in the Glee club. We sort of planned it two days ago, and sent a letter in your email yesterday. Did you get it?"

"An email? No."

"Well, we're going to meet at fifty-eighth street, and Finn will lead from there. I just wanted to remind you about that. We thought that, you know, since graduation's coming up and everyone's leaving, we could have more fun moments together. What do you say?"

More great moments with the Glee club members is what she exactly needed. There's been so much stress lately, especially on her. Prepping for competitions. Practicing the walking down the aisle to the stage thing for graduation. Getting applications ready for college. Packing up to leave Lima. Handling a relationship with Joe.

What she needed right now was a little fun. The latest thing fun that happened to her was winning first place at Regionals. God, that was a whole month ago. This whole outing thing Finn and Rachel planned for the whole Glee club was something that could take Quinn's mind off this craziness.

"I'll think about it for a couple of minutes, and then call you back."

Rachel perked up. "Okay then. I'll call you at about 10:30 and see if you thought about it, alright?"

Unenthusiastically, Quinn nodded and the two hung up their phones.

The blonde got up out of bed, went to the bathroom, brushed her teeth, and washed her face. She felt so weak. She thought that she could finally sleep in this weekend. Apparently, she couldn't.

It's always someone in New Directions that has to be dragged by the witty hands of Rachel Berry. Lesson learned.

Returning into her bedroom, Quinn found a simple, baby blue tank top and a black skirt to slip on. Her legs felt so heavy as they dropped down after putting the skirt on. Luckily, she found some ankle-high shoes she could slip onto her feet.

Boy, she was gonna miss her bedroom when she graduates. She's only been here for about two years, but it felt like she's been here for all her life. It was her own little temple of comfort. She could do and say whatever she wanted. It was decorated neatly, fit for a princess.

She'll especially miss the people in the pictures, hanging on the little bulletin board above her desk.

Quinn spotted a picture of her with Santana and Brittany in freshman year. They had just won a competition before the school year ended, and they celebrated at Hooter's. Quinn could think of a million reasons why she'll miss Santana and Brittany especially.

Another picture was of Rachel at Sectionals in sophomore year. Sure, she had her ups and downs with Rachel, but she brought the best out of her in her sophomore year when she was pregnant. If it wasn't for her and Glee club, she'd be nothing in the school, and everyone would've rejected her.

The third picture was of Sam and Puck on the beach during spring break. Those boys were party animals together. They'd go and play arcade games almost each weekend when they're not with a girl. They'll practice basketball on the park court now and then. Their friendship was ever so astounding.

The fourth picture was of Sam and Mercedes at junior prom. They looked so cute together that night. I'm sure Mercedes recovered from the loneliness and depression, trying to look for someone to be her date. Now she's happier than ever.

The next one was of her and Joe at the Valentine's Day party. Quinn loved looking at that picture. Joe was so tense that night, especially when he thought Quinn wasn't even going to come. At least he let loose a little and was able to have fun. That was the first time Quinn ever saw him have that much fun.

It was also the first night she realized how into her Joe really was.

Actually, she didn't think that Joe was into her when he pulled away during his erection. She had a change of thought, though. Gosh, the boy was so embarrassed. He crushed on her so bad, and kept trying to hide it away from her.

These people in Quinn's pictures were the ones she was going to miss the most. Brittany and Santana alone were two peas in a pod. The two of them with Quinn was the complete and utterly heart-felt Unholy Trinity. They'd hang out everywhere they went, and they would outshine every student in McKinley. Quinn possibly couldn't give up her two best friends.

In all honesty, she couldn't give up Rachel or Mercedes, either. They were Quinn's friends when she joined Glee club. They made her think positively. Rachel taught her that being a part of something special makes her special, and not just for appearances. Plus, being an avid God Squad member, Mercedes gave Quinn very good advice about how to cope with her situation.

Puck and Sam were Quinn's ex boyfriends, but they still have good times together. When Quinn wasn't with either one, she still got to be goofy and a little fun with them on rare occasions.

Then there was Joe. It had only been a short amount of time, but she was very close to him. They shared a lot since Joe transferred. Joe's still learning a lot, but he catches on pretty quickly. Not only this, but they were boyfriend and girlfriend. Of course, Quinn had many boyfriends in her past. Joe was the present one now, and really sweet to her. She'd give up anything for him and the rest of the gang.

A tear fell freely down the blonde's face. She didn't want to cry, even after washing her face and primping herself. Unfortunately, graduation is right around the corner. If she declined Rachel's request to go to the outing, then that would be her last shot in doing something fun with the other New Directions members.

Breakfast didn't really help much, but it filled her up and gave her a chance to think about things. Should she go ahead and do this? Depression was taking her over.

She was tired. She didn't feel like crying anymore. She felt like spending every last minute with each of her friends. She wanted to clear every image of leaving to New Haven, and just live present life.

Quinn combed her hair for about a few seconds and then called Rachel again.

"Hello, Rachel?"

"Quinn?"

"Tell Finn that I'm coming."

Shrieks of excitement flew gracefully out of Rachel's mouth. "Excellent."

Quinn smiled. Boy, she was an outgoing girl. "Also, tell him that I'm bringing a friend with me."

"Who?"

"Oh, I'm pretty sure you know."

"Joseph! Telephone!"

The dreadlocked boy was in his bedroom, reading another scripture from his Bible. His mother had come up to the room with the house phone, handing it to her son.

"Hello?"

"Joe, it's me."

Joe suddenly lit up. "Quinn? Hey."

Mrs. Hart knew what that meant immediately. She stepped out of Joe's room and waited for him to be done with the phone.

"Did you want to come over or something?"

"Actually, something different." Joe was impressed with Quinn's new suggestion. "I know you're kind of new to the Glee club, and you don't fully know everyone just yet. But I was hoping that we could continue on with that."

Teen Jesus nodded. "And by that, you mean…"

Quinn smirked. "Let's have a little fun, shall we?"