Let me just say right now, and I mean no disrespect by this, but you guys suck. Chapters 23 and 24 have been written for over a week, and I've had no inspiration to post them because it seems like no one really cares about this story anymore. Favorites and follows are great guys, I'm not saying they aren't, but reviews are what inspire me to write. Although I doubt they have, if anyone has been paying attention, I started to seriously slow my writing pace after chapter 22. While college was a big part in that two month hiatus, I was also suffering from a lack of inspiration, because I never got any reviews after chapter 21. So starting right after I post this chapter, I am going to re-implement an old policy I haven't had to use for a long time: in order for me to post the next chapter when it's ready I'm going to require at least one review. It doesn't even have to be on the chapter before. Any chapter will do. Just one review. I'm sorry I have to do this, but it will benefit me and everyone else in the long run if one person could take one minute to simply write a few words of their own to let me know what they think of my work. I'll let you all read now.
Chapter 24: Black, White, and Grey
(Season 1, Episode 6: Vitamin D)
Rachel walked into the ballet room at the gym the next day, where the girls had agreed to meet up to work on their mash-up assignment.
"Okay, girls. We need to get started." Rachel said. Santana scoffed.
"We're getting warmed up." The Latina said. She then went back to reapplying her lip gloss in one of the mirrors. Rachel looked around the room and realized that a certain blonde was missing from the room.
"Where's Quinn?"
"Probably down at the mall looking for elastic waist pants." Brittany responded. Santana, Mercedes, and Tina broke down into giggles. Rachel could feel her anger rising as Quinn's so-called best friends made fun of her behind her back.
"That isn't nice, Brittany. You shouldn't make fun of Quinn."
"Then maybe she shouldn't have gone and gotten herself knocked up by the Jolly Green Giant." Santana spat. Rachel rounded at Santana and slapped the girl across her face. Everyone stood shocked for a moment before Santana spoke. "I know you did not just slap me, you damned midget."
"So what if I did? You deserved it. You and Brittany are supposed to be Quinn's best friends, and instead you're standing in here making fun of her while she's trying to deal with the mistake she's made, thinking that no one cares about her, when you should be supporting her like the friend you're supposed to be."
"You do not tell me how to live my life, RuPaul. If you have an issue with how Britts and I act, keep it to yourself, because no one wants to hear it. And if you so much as think about slapping me again I will ends you." In response, Rachel rolled her eyes and turned to walk out of the room.
"Where are you going?" Mercedes asked.
"To find Quinn, and maybe help her find some suitable clothing for her maternity period. In summary, being the friend that she so desperately needs right now. Good luck putting together the mash-up on your own, because I refuse to cooperate with anyone, boy or girl, who treats their friend with such disrespect." With that, Rachel stormed out of the ballet room, leaving the other four girls speechless.
At the Mall
Rachel finally found Quinn 20 minutes later rifling through a rack of half-price clothing at a maternity store.
"I would have never thought I'd see Quinn Fabray even considering buying clothing on sale." Rachel said, catching Quinn's attention. The blonde jumped and turned with wide eyes before calming when she realized Rachel was behind her.
"I can't exactly use my parents' credit card to buy maternity clothes. They may be drunkards, but they aren't stupid. One look at the card bill and I'll be out on my ass. I don't have much money of my own, so I need to save where I can."
"Would you mind if I helped you look?" Quinn smiled happily at the diva.
"Of course not. Just…nothing with animals on it, okay? I'd like to keep some of my dignity." Rachel giggled and nodded. They searched the clothing racks in companionable silence for several minutes.
"I'm sorry I didn't show up for practice today. It's just… I had to squeeze into my Cheerios skirt today. It won't be long before I'm too fat to get into any of my other clothes."
"You aren't fat, Quinn. You have a child growing inside of you. That does not by any means make you fat. And you needn't worry about practice. I walked out when Santana and Brittany started making jokes about you. I refuse to work with anyone who would stoop so low as to make fun of their friends, especially when they are in the sort of situation you are. I would like to see how well they do without our assistance."
"Brittany would be able to put together some choreography, but I don't think any of them are creative enough to figure out a song selection, let alone a mash-up."
"Agreed. It seems as if the boys are going to win after all." Rachel pulled a plain white knit sweater out of the rack and held it up. "What about this? It isn't very big, but it should work until at least your fourth month, assuming the baby doesn't grow too fast." Quinn looked up at the sweater in the brunette's hands and smiled.
"Let me try it on." Rachel handed the garment to Quinn, who walked over to the dressing rooms. Both had a feeling that they would be enjoying their afternoon together.
One Week Later
The next week Quinn finally worked up the courage to find Mrs. Schuester and ask for help. Quinn had spent almost 200 dollars on maternity clothing at the mall the week before, and she knew she would have to do it again in a couple of months, but she didn't have that kind of money to spend when she needed to be saving up to pay the doctors' bills. Scott noticed Quinn walking towards Mrs. Schuester and knew something was about to go down, so he made sure to keep close, just in case.
"Mrs. Schuester, I need to talk to you." Quinn said once she'd finally found the substitute nurse. "About the baby." Mrs. Schuester immediately pulled Quinn to the side of the hall. Scott leaned against the opposite wall and pretended to be interested in the flood of students that was passing between him and the girls.
"Is everything okay?" Mrs. Schuester asked. "Wait, you're not having it right now, are you?"
"What? No! I'm only two months pregnant. Aren't you supposed to be a nurse?"
"Mhm." The girls started walking down one of the adjacent hallways, and Scott followed discreetly. Quinn paused for a moment to gather her thoughts before speaking.
"I've been thinking about your offer some more."
"Yeah?"
"I like my life. I like being a cheerleader. And two months ago I would have questioned my sanity for saying this, but I really like being in Glee Club. I have all of these great things in my life and it already feels like too much. I can't raise a baby."
"You know, honestly, I don't know how you kids do it nowadays. I didn't have it this bad when I was your age. There weren't as many TV channels either, though. Is Finn okay with this? Because, you know, I don't want any baby daddy drama when you hand it over to me."
"He's the reason I'm doing this. He's such a good guy, and he internalizes all this pressure. He's going to have a heart attack." Mrs. Schuester nodded in agreement. "I don't ever want Mr. Schuester to find out about this, though. I don't want to hurt him either."
"Your secret's safe with me. I have a lot more to lose."
"One more thing. I know you said you would give me advice on what vitamins to take, and what doctors to go to, but I'm going to have all of these doctors' bills and I'm going to need some new maternity clothes once the ones I have don't fit anymore."
"You want money from me?"
"It's going to be your baby."
"Which means I'm going to be paying the bills for 18 years. I think you can handle nine months. Look, you're making the right call here, Quinn. It's what's best for everybody."
"Mrs. Schuester, please." Quinn begged. "I'm only 16. My parents won't let me get a job and I don't have the money to pay for all of this stuff."
"I guess you should've thought about that before you had sex with Finn, then, shouldn't you?"
"You and I both know things don't work that way." Scott cut in. Quinn and Mrs. Schuester both turned to look at him. The hallway was empty as all of the students went to their final classes for the day, leaving the three alone in the hallway.
"What are you talking about?"
"You think this entire situation is all black and white. Quinn got pregnant so she has to pay the bills until the kid's born, then you take care of the next 18 years. But here's a little grey to mix your black and white. Quinn is 16 years old and has no job. Finn is in the same boat. Her parents are going to find out she's pregnant eventually, and chances are they won't be willing to support her. You, on the other hand, have a job, two, actually, and you have a husband who also has a job. You're much more financially capable of paying the bills. On top of that, Quinn is carrying the baby for you so you don't have to. That means she is also going through all of the pregnancy issues, including eventually giving birth to the kid. On top of all of that, she's keeping this a secret from your husband rather than telling him. I think the least you could do is pay the bills and buy the maternity clothes. It's not like she's asking you to, I don't know, give her your child or anything."
"W-well, I-"
"Mrs. Schuester, I don't want Mr. Schuester to get hurt by this any more than you or Quinn does, but Quinn is the most important person in my life. And if I feel like she's getting the short stick in this deal, I won't hesitate to let Mr. Schue in on all of this to protect her. The way I see it, you have three options. You pay your way for Quinn's baby, you refuse and I tell Mr. Schue about this little scheme of yours, or you walk away and try to find another pregnant woman to steal a baby from. It's up to you." Mrs. Schuester was silent as she stared awestruck at the boy.
"Scott's right." Quinn finally said. "Whether I want to keep it or not, this baby is mine until I put it in your hands. If you want it, you have to prove that you're willing to take care of it. If you pay for my maternity clothes and doctors' bills, we'll call it even. Take some time and think about it. Just keep in mind; there aren't that many pregnant women willing to give away their baby." Scott and Quinn walked away, leaving a dumbstruck Mrs. Schuester standing in the hallway. Once they reached the choir room, Quinn turned to Scott. "Thank you for standing up for me." Scott smiled at the blonde.
"You didn't think I was going to stand by and let that loon cheat you, did you? I told you that I'd do everything in my power to help you get through this. At least now you've got some sort of realistic support, assuming she does the smart thing and goes through with it. Now, how about after Glee today you, me, and Rachel head over to Scoop's and get some ice cream, on me?"
"That sounds great, Scott."
In the next chapter New Directions deals with the ramifications of using decongestants as performance enhancers. Hope you all enjoyed!