"Can you help Beth with her homework?" Rachel asks shortly after she and Liza finish doing the dishes from dinner. Quinn stayed late at Columbia for an activity she's doing with her debate class, promising to be home before eight o clock.
"It depends what she's working on," Liza says, realizing that Quinn's coffee mug didn't make it into the dishwasher.
"What does that mean?" Rachel questions. "She's in third grade. You know everything. I'm sure you can help her."
"I don't know everything, I remember everything. There's a difference."
"Do you not remember what you learned in third grade?" Rachel asks, confused.
"I was never in third grade," Liza reminds her. Liza finished kindergarten and went straight to fifth grade. Sometimes, when Liza is having trouble with her own school work, she wonders if she reached the highest point of her life around the age of nine. This is usually when she calls Santana and receives another one of the most sarcastic and insulting pep talks she's ever heard.
"That's right," Rachel says. She sounds crushed, as though the mere mention of someone else's success has thrown her into a ravine that she might not be able to climb out of. Liza knows that Rachel doesn't exactly love it when she's not the best at something, but it's not usually this bad.
Nearly an hour later, Liza finds herself sitting at the dining room table with Beth, United States geography and math worksheets in front of them. Liza isn't bad at math. In fact, she has yet to find an academic subject that she's not exceptional in. Geography was never her favorite subject, and she relied heavily upon her memory to pass the high school level course she took.
Beth wants to work on her math first, much to Liza's relief. "I'm supposed to name each shape," Beth explains as Liza examines the worksheet. There are twenty polygons, each accompanied by a line underneath to write the name. Liza notices that Rachel has made her way into the room and is watching her interaction with Beth intently.
Rachel seems to notice that Liza has spotted her and rushes into the kitchen muttering about cleaning something of Quinn's. She's probably talking about the mug. "Well," Liza begins. "You start at one exterior angle and move to the one next to it. That's a side. Go from angle to angle and then take whatever number of sides you end up with in English and match it with its Greek equivalent. And add 'gon' at the end in most cases."
Beth looks so full of confusion that Liza wonders if she hasn't accidentally explained this in French. Every now and then, she gets the languages she speaks confused. Rachel looks as baffled as Beth. "You'll want to make it a little simpler. This isn't college geometry," Rachel says. "Take it down a notch."
Liza sighs. This is definitely why she isn't in Columbia's teaching program. "Alright. Count the sides." Liza points to a corner of the hexagon in the first problem with her pencil. "Start at one corner and trace the line to the next one. You can also count the corners instead." Liza has Beth count the corners of all the polygons while she makes a chart of numbers of sides and names of polygons.
When Beth has finished, she says, "Now use the chart to match the number of sides to the correct name. Eventually, you'll memorize them, but you can use the chart for as long as you need it." Beth smiles. Liza is sure her fellow premed students would laugh at her for finding something so easy so difficult to explain. "What's next?"
"New York geography," Beth says.
Liza grins. "That's really more Rachel's thing than mine. I'll let her help you." Rachel stares at her as though trying to find a way to get out of this, but finally sits down in Liza's place. Liza has to call Charlie. She's particularly interested in finding out if he's ever met Santana Lopez.
Quinn meets Liza at the campus bookstore. She's carrying three coffees when she shows up. Liza takes one from her as she sets the other two down on the table. "I didn't know what your friend likes, so I got him what you always get," Quinn says. Liza has what has to be the simplest coffee order ever. Rachel used to make fun of her for drinking her coffee black, so she started adding two creams and two sugars about a year ago.
"That's great. He's not here yet, but I checked the train routes, and they're all running slightly behind schedule." Liza was given a choice of letting Rachel meet Charlie or letting Quinn meet Charlie. Quinn was the obvious choice. Rachel has always been extremely protective of Liza. Liza also didn't want to scare Charlie off with Rachel's somewhat intense personality. "Please don't embarrass me," Liza adds.
"I won't, I promise. He seems like a nice person. Although, you were always close with Santana. There have definitely been times when I've questioned your judgement of people," Quinn says. Liza pretends to be shocked by this and playfully elbows Quinn in the side.
"Santana just always seemed like the smartest member of your glee club." Liza takes a moment to consider this. "You know what? Sometimes I question my judgement of people too."
Nearly twenty minutes pass before Liza hears her name being called from next to a bookshelf. Liza beckons Charlie to their table and Quinn nearly jumps from excitement. Liza shakes her head at Quinn's eagerness and pulls out a chair for Charlie to sit down. "I'm sorry I'm late," Charlie says once he's been seated. "I had a dance class earlier and the trains are running late."
"It's very nice to meet you, Charlie," Quinn says.
"Ah, you must be Quinn! Liza's told me about you and Rachel. She mentioned you sing. I've always loved the performing arts. I have an audition for a show next month, actually," Charlie says.
"Really? I sing, but Rachel's the real talent. She's rehearsing for a show currently. What show are you auditioning for?" Quinn asks. Liza is thrilled that she and Charlie are getting along.
"I have my Cats audition. I'm going out for Mistofellees but Munkostrap and Mungojerrie are both options if I can't get anything else. I've always wanted to perform. When I heard of an opportunity to further my education in New York, I took it almost immediately. I'm originally from Los Angeles, so I really owe my success to Pierce and Andrews. I've been dancing with Olivia Andrews for years and Brittany has been a wonderful teacher since she took over her half of the studio," Charlie explains.
"You didn't mention that he knows Brittany," Quinn says to Liza. Liza shrugs and smiles. "You know Brittany! Do you know Santana too?" It turns out that Liza won't have to ask Charlie this herself.
"She's come in to help teach a few classes, actually. She's slightly… abrasive, wouldn't you say?" Charlie says.
Quinn laughs. "Santana? Slightly abrasive? You have no idea."
It's nine o'clock by the time Quinn and Liza get back to their apartment. Quinn, Liza, and Charlie discussed everything from music to the meanest thing Santana has ever said to each of them before heading to their respective classes. Quinn and Liza spent the evening in the West Village before heading home.
Liza's stomach sinks when she opens the door to find Rachel sitting on the floor with her knees pulled into her chest, crying over the same tiny picture she took out of Shelby's house. Quinn rushes to her and kneels in front of her. Liza gets halfway to the two girls on the floor before she freezes. Rachel has tried to hide the picture, but it's obvious that Quinn has already seen it.
Quinn opens and closes her mouth like she wants to say something but she can't. "I thought…" she begins. "I thought you didn't care."
"Well, you clearly thought wrong," Rachel snaps. Her tone is harsher than Liza has ever heard.
"Rachel, I… I'm going to check on Beth."
If the interaction Liza just witnessed was anything, it was a monumental failure. Liza sits down on the floor next to Rachel and takes the photo out of her hands. "It's okay, just let me have it. There's no use torturing yourself more than you already have," Liza says.
"She was supposed to be my thing and someone's taken her away," Rachel whispers.
"Shelby?" Liza asks, because she has a feeling that might not be who Rachel is talking about.
"Quinn."