What I Couldn't See Before

by shattershard

It all started with a wrong number.

2. Chapter 2

A/N: More characters that do not belong to me show up in this part (sorry if any are a bit OOC). There are also a few POV changes throughout, but the site doesn't really give much leeway in terms of formatting so I hope that's not too confusing. Sorry for any typos or mistakes, this was a lot to sift through and edit. Hope you guys enjoy!

---

Rachel Berry sighed as she ran her fingers through her sticky hair. She hadn't even made it to class before she was hit.

She ducked into the bathroom to wash off as much as she could before rushing to class, but it wasn't enough. Even worse, the teacher then refused to acknowledge her waving hand in attempt to return to the bathroom. Now she was left with a dried sticky mess.

It's okay, she told herself, Just one more class and you can go home and have a nice long, good soak with Celine playing in the background. Rachel winced, trying to disentangle her fingers from her hair so that she could open her locker.

As she spun her combination, she idly thought about taking a different detour, to the girls locker room. She wondered if Quinn would be there again. She blushed at the memory. At Quinn's gentle touches. She'd never stood so close to her before. Never been close enough to see the brown and gold flecks spattered throughout otherwise green eyes.

That moment in the locker room, Rachel didn't know what was going on in Quinn's head, but her eyes held such an intensity, something that burned just below the surface. She hadn't known what to make of it. And when she tried to approach the other girl slumped against the lockers, Quinn had snapped at her and run away. Which didn't faze Rachel as much as one would've thought. She was pretty much used to that side of Quinn.

What she wasn't used to was the softer, remorseful Quinn. The one that had held her gaze as she wiped slush from her face. The one that offered an apology in the choir room later that day.

Rachel sighed at herself. It was becoming an increasingly annoying habit of hers to develop these crushes on popular people. She was a walking cliche and practically painting a target on her own back.

Her locker door swung open and Rachel dug into her backpack to grab the books she planned on leaving and almost missed the small post-it note as it fluttered down to her feet. She paused. As she reached down to pick it up, she glanced up and around, wondering where it came from. Her bag slid off her shoulder and she leaned it on the floor against the lockers and unfolded the pink piece of paper.

I'm sorry you got slushied. They're idiots. I'm working on a way to end that. It's a terrible ritual. Don't let them get to you.
- L
P.S. You're beautiful, today and everyday. xx

L. Rachel read it again. And again. And again.

Her heart raced. Fingers traced the neatly blocked letters, all capital. A stark difference from the stylized, loopy signed L. She couldn't even begin to wrap her head around the words on the tiny 3" by 3" pink square.

What was Lucy's game?

It'd been a week since she found out Rachel's identity. All week, Rachel had been tiptoeing around school, bracing for the attack. Bracing for the looks and stares, the laughter, the taunting. What would she leak? Her sexuality? Her fantasies?

It hadn't come yet. Lucy said she wouldn't. But how could Rachel trust her?

Has she given you any reason not to?

Well, no... But... she's a popular kid. She's just trying to lower my defenses and then she's going to strike when I'm most vulnerable. Now that she knows who I am, she knows I'm an easy target. She's playing the long con.

You gave Finn a chance, why not Lucy?

B-because I know Finn. He wouldn't hurt me. Not on purpose at least. I don't know who Lucy is.

But Finn's hurt you in the past. When has Lucy ever hurt you?

Rachel paused. Oh, how she hated the little voice in her head. Fine, so Lucy hasn't actually ever done anything to hurt her. If anything, she's always been supportive and uplifting.

She also thinks you're beautiful.Rachel blushed as she read the postscript again. A part of her was still wary that Lucy might be manipulating her the long way, showering her with fake compliments and everything. After all, Finn and Santana certainly didn't think she looked or dressed nicely. Then again, they weren't her friends, especially Santana. Finn... was a work in progress.

To be fair though... Lucy had just come to terms with her sexuality through their conversations, if anything she said were to be taken for truth. I am her first girl crush!

So, if anything, she had her own leverage against her. Especially if Lucy was popular, exposing her sexuality could crush her.

Not that Rachel would ever do that!

But she supposed that had to be a fear on Lucy's mind too. Yet she was still putting herself out there and trying to make amends.

I'm sorry. That was the last text she'd gotten from Lucy. And as much as Rachel wanted to forget everything about her and move on, a part of her couldn't help but wish Lucy had fought a little harder. Rachel was too scared to reach out herself.

Except, now there was this little note. It served as a little reminder that Lucy knew her identity now.

And what did she even mean by 'working on a way to end that'? End slushies? Was that even possible?

Slushie throwing has been going on since she was in at least elementary school. Rachel remembered placing second in the fourth grade science fair and presenting in the McKinley high school gym. She was walking in a group of other fourth graders who'd placed, and they all jumped when a jock ran past them with a blue slushie in hand, tossing it in the face of a short boy in a wizard costume. The blue actually blended in well with the fabric and the only obvious traces he'd been slushied were on his face and in his glasses.

The ninth grader leading their group quickly ushered them into the gym and they all quickly forgot about that moment in the rush and excitement of the science fair.

Did Lucy hold that much power? She did say she was a Cheerio. Maybe it was time for Rachel to find out who exactly Lucy was. She's never dug too deeply before, because she'd liked the anonymity. But now, it was only one-sided, so Rachel had every right to seek out the other girl's identity.

But... where to start?

It still baffled Rachel that Lucy had gotten her full name on the first try, when she'd spent weeks just trying to guess her first name and just kept failing. Honestly, it was quite hilarious. Rachel was a pretty common name, and Lucy just kept overlooking it. Not to mention the fact that she thought she was a boy at first.

Rachel headed to her last period of the day, wheels turning in her head on how she could even the playing field a bit. Maybe if she could put a face to Lucy, see who she really was in school, she'd be able to gauge her intentions more clearly.

---

[Lucy] 6:42am:
"Good morning Rachel.
"I hope you have a good day. x"

Well, she got her wish. The next day, after her shower, she turned on her phone to find that message waiting for her.

But Rachel didn't respond. She wasn't ready yet.

---

[Lucy] 10:15am:
"Okay, tell me you did not kidnap Ms. Howard's frog.
"You know we're not actually dissecting it right? Tadpole's her son's pet."

Oh... we're not? Maybe she had gotten a little overzealous. How did Lucy even know it was her?! Did anyone else know? She snuck a peek around the room. No one seemed to be paying her any mind. Okay, she had American Literature next, so she didn't have time to run across the school to the science wing and drop off the frog. She'd have to wait until lunch.

---

[Lucy] 12:28pm:
"I'd take back knowing who you are if I could."

Rachel's heart clenched. Of course she would. Anyone would. Who would willingly be friends with her? Ignorance is bliss after all. I think I'd go back to you not knowing who I am too.

[Lucy] 12:29pm:
"Actually no. I wouldn't. Because now I have someone to imagine when I close my eyes and think about you. I know what your smiles look like. I know what your voice sounds like. You have an amazing voice by the way, but you know that already lol."

Oh.

Rachel slowed to a stop in the hallway.

[Lucy] 12:29pm:
"And I know what your laugh sounds like. I don't know how I never paid attention to it before. It's musical. When you genuinely laugh. You don't do it often, you know. I see you smile and laugh along with everyone else to blend in. But you don't feel it.

I wonder what your laugh sounds like. What your smile looks like.

[Lucy] 12:30pm:
"One thing I haven't seen yet and I'm dying to...
"Is a wink from you in real life. ;) I bet it won't compare to the ones you send over text."

Oh.

Well, that was not expected. All sorts of things were going on in her head, in her chest, in her abdomen. Actually, she felt a little lightheaded.

She heard footsteps in the otherwise empty hallway and looked up, still dazed.

Oh no. It was Karofsky, with a Big Gulp in hand. It sloshed slightly as he strode forward. Purple. Grape. Rachel squeezes her eyes shut as she braced for impact.

Rachel didn't know how long she stood there, waiting. At least a minute. But there was no impact. Karofsky should've made contact at least 40 seconds ago. She slowly peeked an eye open and immediately yelped, jumping backwards at the sight of the girl in front of her, who looked amused.

"Oh! Uh, hello Quinn," she squeaked.

"Is there a reason you're just standing in the middle of the hallway with your eyes closed?" Quinn asked with a barely concealed smile. Quinn has a nice smile, Rachel thought offhandedly, Unless she's plotting something, then I take that back.

Rachel huffed, smoothing down her clothes, checking for any purple stains. Maybe he just missed. Or she hadn't felt it. Nothing on the ground though. "If you're going to make fun of me, can you get it over with? I'd like to at least get a bite of something into my stomach before lunch is over."

"I'm not going to make fun of you."

Rachel glances up at her, "Oh. So what- sorry am I in your way?" She stepped to the side, pressing against the lockers.

Quinn's eyes crinkled in what looked like a mixture of amusement and confusion.

"No, you're not in my way. I was just wondering why you were standing in the middle of the hallway with your eyes closed. Sleepwalking maybe?" The corner of her lips twitched.

"Oh. I thought I was going to be slushied."

Quinn hummed, thoughtful, "Well, I'm glad you weren't. Enjoy your lunch."

That. Was weird. Was she being sarcastic? She watched Quinn disappear around the corner before she was jolted out her her thoughts at her phone buzzing again.

[Lucy] 12:37pm:
"I'm sorry if I'm being pushy. I don't know how I can earn your trust. But I really like you and what we have. Or had. I'm sorry if I ruined it."

I did too.

...I still do.

I'm sorry.

Rachel sighed and headed to her locker. She had ten minutes to slip Tadpole back into his tank.

---

Rachel sat in the choir room, the first and only one there. Normally, she'd have left the room to hunt down each and every member and drag them to glee. Or she'd start writing her ideas on the board to discuss before Mr. Schuester showed up. Or maybe she'd be sitting at the piano, practicing a new song to perform or just for the sake of practicing.

But today, she did none of those things. Instead, she uncharacteristically sat silent in a chair at the far end, in the back of the room. Rachel rolled the cool metal object between her fingers, slowly warming it to her touch. In the other hand was a piece of paper that had been creased, folded and unfolded eight ways many, many times today.

Hey Rachel,

I just wanted to wish you an amazing birthday.

I wish I could say this to your face, but there are just so many things I'm scared of, things that I'm not ready for yet. And for that, I'm sorry.

When I started this school year, the only things I had in mind to do were to be on the Cheerios and win prom queen. After everything that happened to me last year, I swore myself off boys and alcohol. Never in a million years did I think that would lead me to fall for you. It wasn't easy coming to terms with liking you, let alone liking a girl. But you crept into my heart so slowly and surely, that I barely had a chance to fight it. And I'm glad for it.

I know there are so many reasons for you to not trust me, so many things you don't know about me yet. But all I'm asking for is a chance.

I hope you like the charm bracelet. I'd like to keep adding to it in the future if you'd let me.

Happy Birthday, Rachel. May it be everything you wished it and more.

Yours,

L

Rachel was only a little miffed that Lucy had somehow broken into her locker. Sure she'd planted the post-it before, but that could easily have been slipped through the grating. This was a much thicker note with a box holding a charm bracelet. She totally broke in. I wonder if she has some master key. Or did she simply guess my combination?

She was actually more surprised that Lucy knew it was her birthday. It's not like she ever tried to hide it, but this was the first year she hadn't tried planning a big party and inviting everyone she knew. She'd grown tired of waiting and waiting for no one to show up at her house year after year.

Rachel refolded the paper and slipped it into her pocket, grasping the bracelet with both hands. She took each charm between her fingers and studied them.

A phone. Cute, for how they met, she supposed.

A turtle. My love for animals? She wasn't too sure about this one, but she'd treasure it all the same. Her thumb brushed against the ridged shell. Very adorable.

A musical quarter note. Her passion. Or a shared passion. Rachel wasn't lying when she said not liking music might've been a deal breaker. Though their tastes did somewhat clash, but Rachel thought it was better that way. Now, they could engage in healthy debates and expand their music database.

The last charm was a gold star. Classic. As the only colored charm, it stood out, and with faint specks of glitter across its surface, it was as if it were shining. It was beautiful.

The chatter of voices grew louder as the other glee club members filed into the room. Rachel gave the star a small squeeze before finally clasping the bracelet onto her left wrist.

---

[Lucy] 9:28pm:
"Goodnight Rachel. I hope you had a good day. Sleep well. xx."

[Rachel] 9:51pm:
"Thank you, Lucy. Good night.
"And thank you for the bracelet. I love it."

[Lucy] 9:52pm:
":)"

---

[Lucy] 12:34pm:
"You look so hot today."

Rachel blushed. She'd been getting compliments all day, except from Finn, which she mentally rolled her eyes at. But she didn't care. Lucy's was the only opinion that mattered.

[Lucy] 12:37pm:
"I can't concentrate in class. All I can think about is touching that toned body of yours, that abdomen, those legs. Damn. Who knew that was hiding under all that argyle."

[Rachel] 12:37pm:
"Hey! What's wrong with argyle?"

[Lucy] 12:38pm:
"It's just not a good look Rach, but those animal sweaters? You always look adorable in those.
"Your turtle sweater is one of my favorites.
"But damn, that crop top on you? I think you should wear that more often. Brittany Spears is a godsend."

She giggled.

[Rachel] 12:39pm:
"Oh yeah? And why would I do that?"

[Lucy] 12:39pm:
"So you can fuel my fantasies."

Goodness, it was getting hot here. She glanced around the room and was never more thankful than she was right now that nobody was paying her any mind.

[Rachel] 12:40pm:
"And exactly what fantasies are you having?"

[Lucy] 12:40pm:
"Oh you know, standard ones about grabbing you from the hallway into a classroom. Running my hands all over your body, feeling your legs wrap around me as I slowly undress you, trailing my lips down your neck and chest, down to your stomach, where I can run my tongue over those abs I can just barely see. And then drifting down lower until you scream my name."

Lucy! Oh my god, I'm in class! You're probably in class too! But she had asked.

Wow, Lucy had really come a long way since they first started texting. She'd only become bolder and bolder. And Rachel loved it.

[Lucy] 12:44pm:
"Did I break you? ;)"

[Rachel] 12:45pm:
"Why don't we make your fantasies a reality?"

Rachel could only dream of the day they met. But she knew she was pushing it. Lucy wasn't ready for that yet. It wasn't exactly fair that Lucy knew who she was and she only had her first name to go off of. But Lucy was opening up in other ways, and Rachel found herself falling further everyday.

Sometimes, when she really thought about it, the little seedling of doubt would grow, and she too feared the day Lucy revealed herself and broke her heart. Until she texted her and erased those fears. Right now, Lucy staying anonymous protected them both. And even though Rachel was always dying to know more about the other girl, sometimes she found it hard to censor herself.

But Lucy's response gave her hope.

[Lucy] 12:45pm:
"One day."

---

God, Rachel hated gym. It wasn't so much the activities as it was the people she shared the class with. The Unholy Trinity. It was almost unbelievable she shared the class with them all three years so far. Maybe they planned it - a designated time during a basically free period to bully her. They certainly had the power to do so. Though maybe she was being self-centered and the Cheerios were just taking advantage of the coincidence they'd been given.

"Rachel."

Her head shot up. What? Did someone call her? Who would call her? No one ever called her. She was always last! Shoot! Everyone was staring at her. Who called her? Quinn and Santana were standing on the right with Brittany and Olivia on the left.

"Move your ass, Stubbles," Santana barked.

Eep! Rachel scurried toward the side without Santana, except the she yelled, "This side, Manhands!" Rachel immediately changed directions and stumbled to a stop a few feet away from the pair.

"God, I don't even know why you picked her," she heard Santana mumble.

"Be nice, San," Quinn murmured. Brittany called Alex to be on her team and then she and Quinn went back and forth until everyone was picked.

Quinn picked me? Why would she pick me? What are we even playing?

"Hey," Quinn walked up to her.

"Oh, hello Quinn." Why did Quinn always look so amused? Did she have something on her face? Rachel raised a hand to brush her cheek.

"Tell me you can run," she said, eyes drifting down to Rachel's legs.

"Um...what?" Is...Is there something on my legs? Rachel's eyes followed Quinn's gaze down, unsure what to make of the attention. Quinn picked her for her team. She was willingly talking to her. She was checking out her legs! Oh my.

Quinn sighed, "We're playing capture the flag. I want you to have the flag, as long as you can run. Are you fast?"

"Oh!" Capture the flag! Wow, she's never been given such an integral role such as holding the flag! She was always just on the sidelines, ignored. She'd even tried using her invisibility to get the flag herself once, but it seemed to only work one way. She was spotted immediately and pelted with soft, squishy balls. Not the best day.

"Yes, I can run!" That must've been why she was looking at her legs. They were toned. After all, "You know, I exercise vigorously every morning. I have my own elliptical at home that I spend half an hr to an hour on after waking up. I'm sure you know what I'm talking about, with Cheerios practice. Exercise is very essential to our health. It's-"

"Gotcha, Berry. We're giving you the flag, but you're going to stay on the sidelines and try to capture the other team's flag just like you do every game. We're going to be protecting Adam as a decoy, got it?"

Oh boy. This was a lot of responsibility. A lot of deception. A decoy? It would be like one big acting exercise! Rachel straightened and raised her hand in salute, "You got it, Captain Quinn!"

Was that a hint of a smile on Quinn? It made Rachel just a little giddy to know she put that there. Because it was one of mirth and not malice.

She spun and walked away, as near the border between the two sides as she could be, but off to the side so she could skirt around the standing giant gym mats scattered across the room when necessary. Rachel took a deep breath, steadying herself as she got into the role. She wasn't supposed to have the flag, so she was acting like she didn't have the flag.

Wait! She didn't actually have the flag! Quinn never gave it to her! Shoot. She scrambled out of her hiding place and met with the rest of the team, huddled at their makeshift base camp.

She listened with wide eyes and ears as Quinn explained their strategy and discretely gave the flag to Rachel. Santana rolled her eyes, voicing her thoughts on how this shit plan was going to hit the fan if they were really relying on Berry. But Quinn stood firm and the team broke. Everyone moved into positions and the captain not so discretely handed Adam a piece of cloth as she passed him, which he quickly shoved into his shorts pocket.

Rachel snuck her way back to her hiding place to keep a dutiful eye on the other team. Would they play the decoy card too?

The whistle blew and everyone sprung into action.

Brittany's team had split themselves into three groups, one with four that stayed in the back and then two pairs that crept forward. Brittany was captain, she could've claimed the flag for herself. But she was more intuitive than most people thought. She was in the group of four that stayed behind. If Brittany were the decoy, who would she have given the flag to instead?

Rachel's eyes tracked the advancing foes. The maze of upright mats proved to be somewhat annoying, but she spotted Sahil with a speck of green sticking out of his pocket. Sneaky. It almost blended in with his shorts, but the shades were just a little off. Her eyes returned to Brittney, who was practicing her pirouettes - what? - while the other three were chattering and texting away without a care in the world. Oh! She spotted the smallest yellow triangle sticking out of Brittany's left sneaker! That wasn't there before - maybe it had gotten loose with all the spins she was doing. Damn. Rachel didn't know her well enough to ascertain if Brittany or Sahil was the real targ-

"YAH!" She swung her arm in a wide backhanded arc the second she felt motion behind her. She'd been so lost in her thoughts, she stopped paying attention to her surroundings!

"Whoa!" Wait, that was Quinn! Her arm had made contact with soft flesh, but it didn't complete its course. The other girl had grabbed Rachel's wild arm and stumbled backwards, pulling her down with her.

"Unf!" Rachel fell on top of Quinn, dazed and confused. What a soft landing! Her hands wandered, trying to get a firm hold of the ground to lift herself up.

"Whoa," she heard Quinn suck in a sharp breath. Oops! That was too soft and round to be the ground.

"Oh my god, Quinn, I'm soooo sorry! Here, let me help you up!"

"I think you should work on getting yourself up first."

"Sorry!" Her hands finally found solid footing and she pushed herself up on her arms. Well... this wasn't awkward at all. Rachel's arms were positioned with Quinn's head in between and her lower body was still flush against the other girl's, legs tangled below.

Damn, those eyes. The last time she was this close, Rachel could see the bright green speckled with flecks of gold. This time, they were almost a forest green with shades of... dark blue? mixed in, and a faint copper ring burst encasing the pupil. Wow...

"Quit your macking and get your heads in the game!" Santana's voice cut through their little bubble and Rachel launched herself off of Quinn, rolling away and into a mat, which promptly fell on top of her.

"Gah!"

['So that's what she sounds like when I make her go speechless,' Quinn thought affectionately as she propped herself up on her elbows.]

Rachel lay under the mat for a few moments, trying to recover. That... What was that? She felt so hyperaware. Her heart was racing, thighs tingling from where they touched Quinn's. Oh, god.

A groan escaped and she banged her head against the vinyl flooring. Ow. She had enough trust issues with Lucy, a nameless popular closeted cheerleader. And now she was starting to crush on a named popular straight cheerleader. She certainly had a type. Rachel wondered if Lucy was blonde. And if she had stunning hazel eyes like Quinn. She groaned again. Great, now she was imagining Lucy as Quinn. Obviously, that was impossible. Rachel just wanted to stay under this mat for forever. Sadly, that was not to be her fate.

The mat was lifted off and positioned back upright next to Rachel and the brunette squinted through the sudden intrusion of bright light at the blonde standing over her. She grabbed the outstretched hand and pulled herself up. "Sorry, Quinn," she mumbled.

"Don't worry about it, I enjoyed it just as much as you did." Rachel looked up sharply at her, but Quinn had already shifted her attention to their team. The comment was quickly forgotten as Rachel followed suit and focused her attention on the game, on the other players.

Three of their team were taking hits from Brittany's team, shielding Adam, while Santana was running around gathering the fallen balls and launching them back to the other side.

"Ow!"

"Sorry, Britt-Britt! I'll make it up to you later."

"Okay!"

"So, I'm pretty sure Sahil is the flag bearer, but he keeps weaving in an out from behind the mats. We need a plan to expose him," Quinn whispered, "There, I see him, fourth down, one row back.

"Quinn, I was also considering the possibility that he's a decoy, like me. I noticed Brittany has a piece of fabric tucked in her shoe as well. But I don't know her well enough to determine if she's really the decoy or if she's the real target."

Quinn cursed, muttering things under her breath. Rachel shifted awkwardly, choosing to keep her attention on Sahil as her captain thought out loud.

"I think you're right. Sahil is the decoy. But that also means they probably also know Adam's a decoy. Shay's the only one by herself on the our side. If we're lucky, they'll think she has the flag and is planning an attack of her own." She finally looked at Rachel, "Are you ready?"

Rachel's eyes widened at the fire in Quinn's eyes. She'd always been on the receiving end of the blonde's attacks, and she had to admit, it was a bit thrilling to be on the other side. She nodded eagerly.

"Awesome, okay. I'm going to attack Jackson, Corrine, and Sarah. While I have their attention, you go after Brittany. Distract her or something and just grab the flag from her shoe and run as fast as you can back to base. Got it?"

I'm going after Brittany? You're the bait? You're sacrificing yourself for me- I mean the team? Ohh, that's a lot of pressure. I've never had an actual role in these games... Oh no, she's setting me up for failure isn't she? I'm going to go after Brittany and everyone's going to attack me instead. Maybe she'll conveniently forget to distract the others. Or I'll get to Brittany and fail to get the flag. I'll just trip and fall again. I-

"Hey," Quinn whispered, grasping both her shoulders, "Just say the word if you can't do this. We can come up with something else. But you can't be the bait. You have the flag." Oh yeah... why'd you give that to me in the first place? "I know you can do this. I believe in you, Rachel. Okay?"

Rachel's thoughts came to a screeching halt and her breath caught. She believes in me? What was this alternate, parallel universe she had fallen into? Where Quinn was being nice to her and saying all these positive things to her, calling her by her name. Finally, she swallowed thickly and nodded again, "Okay... I can do this."

Quinn grinned, "Cool, let's crush them."

---

[Rachel] 11:56am:
"Lucy! I won! Can you believe I won?!"

[Lucy] 11:57am:
"I can't imagine you not winning.
"What did you win?"

[Rachel] 11:57am:
"Capture the flag!
"I cannot believe it! I have never participated in a major role that led to victory before! I've always just sat on the sidelines, waiting in agony for gym class to pass."

[Lucy] 11:57am:
"I'm glad you had a good time. I'm sure there are more victories to come."

[Rachel] 11:58am:
"Maybe.
"You know, I really owe it to this one girl in my class. She actually used to torment me all the time, but a lot happened last year and I really think she's turned over a new leaf.
"She chose me for her team! And then she let me make the winning grab! I swear, I really thought it was going to be a prank and I was going to end up in tears or something, but she took me aside and was like 'I believe in you.' She made my day."

[Lucy] 11:59am:
"I'd choose you to be on my team everyday :)
"Anyone who doesn't believe in you deserves a good smack in the head."

Rachel blushed.

[Lucy] 11:59am:
"But I gotta say, I'm getting a little jealous of this girl here."

A little knot of worry formed in her stomach at the words, but Rachel pushed it away.

[Rachel] 12:00pm:
"You don't have to worry. My heart belongs to you."

[Lucy] 12:00pm:
"3 x"

[Rachel] 12:01pm:
"X"

---

Darn it. He could've sworn he stashed a chocolate bar in here. Finn Hudson dug through his locker, shoving his books and papers out of the way. God, why was his locker such a mess? He had to remember to stock up on chocolate bars. How else was he going to make it through U.S. History?

"Hello Finn."

Ow! He banged his head against the top of his locker when he straightened in surprise. Finn pulled back and swung his locker door closed. Wait, no one's here. Who called him?

"Finn!" It came paired with a very distinct foot stomp.

Oh. He always forgot how short Rachel was. He looked down, "Oh, hey Rach."

"How are you doing?"

"I'm good..." What does she want?

"Well, I'm going to skip the pleasantries and get straight to the point."

I wonder if Rachel has a chocolate bar.

"Since you're on the football team and you dated Quinn, I was wondering if you know all the Cheerios?"

Chocolate Cheerios? Are those a thing? Man, I'd have those every day if those were a thing. But I can't eat cereal in class... does she have any other chocolate snacks?

"...great! I really appreciate your willingness to help!"

Wait, what? Help? Damn, I must've said something or made a sound. Did I drool? Finn wiped his chin... No, no drool. Oh no, what did I just agree to?

Rachel grabbed his arm and dragged him to an empty classroom before shoving him in a chair. He mourned the loss of his chocolate bar the entire way.

"Finn!"

Oops, he'd fallen asleep. It wasn't his fault! God, Rachel just talked soo much. She did have a nice soothing voice though. Anyone would fall asleep to it. Oh, there he goes again. Off to dreamland about boobs, cars, and football.

"Ow! What was that for!" Finn rubbed the back of his head.

"Pay attention! We're on a mission."

"Geez, who put you in charge?"

Rachel's eyes flashed dangerously and Finn flinched, cowering his head under his arms. Ahh! But the hit never came.

"Finn, can you please just give me a list of all the Cheerios you know and I'll give you some chocolate."

Chocolate? He perked up. Okay, I can totally do that.

"Let's see, well, you know about Quinn, Brittany, and Santana. Then, there's Jamie, Amber, Riley, Shay, Alex, Alexa, Sarah C, Sarah K, Corrine - did you know I made out with her? It was over the summer. She let me touch her boobs, under the bra, can you believe it? Best night of my life! She's tota- Ow!"

"Focus Finn!"

"Okay, okay... geez. I'd better be getting two chocolate bars for this. Um, lets see. There's Leah, Michelle, Dana, Kayla B, Linda, Lucy, Laney, G-"

"Wait!"

"Ah! What!" Why does she keep screaming at me? Geez!

"Did you say Lucy?"

"Oh, uh yeah. Lucy Evans? I think she's a senior."

"A senior..." he heard Rachel murmur. "Are there any more Lucy's?"

Finn racked his brain. There was still Amelia, and Georgina - well, actually maybe that was the best night of his life. She gave him a blow-

"Ow! I didn't even said anything out loud!"

"You had that look on your face. You know, the one where yo-"

"OK! Okay, god, Rachel. Learn when to shut up okay?" He only felt a little bad about the hurt look that appeared on her face. After all he was here against his will.

"Uhh." There was Maddie, Drew, Octavia, Yasmin... yeah that was it. "No, just the one Lucy."

"And you said Lucy Evans right?"

"Yeah."

"Thank you, Finn."

It wasn't until she'd already left the room that Finn realized he'd been left empty handed. "Wait! Rach! What about my chocolate?!"

Noooo!

---

[Rachel] 4:25pm:
"Are you blonde?"

[Lucy] 4:27pm:
"Are you really psychic?"

Score! That had to be a yes.

[Rachel] 4:27pm:
"Are you a senior?"

[Lucy] 4:28pm:
"Oh, I see. You got your hands on a Cheerios roster."

That wasn't an answer. That was a nonanswer! Answer the question, Lucy Evans! I know who you are!

[Rachel] 4:28pm:
"Maybe I did."

[Lucy] 4:28pm:
"Hate to break it to you, but I'm not Lucy Evans."

What! Rachel's eyes flashed.

[Lucy] 4:28pm:
"Sorry, I go by a nickname on the squad."

Noooo! She'd wasted 30 minutes weaseling the list from Finn and it was moot.

[Rachel] 4:29pm:
"I just wanted to find out your birthday :("

[Lucy] 4:29pm:
"Should've done more research babe. Lucy Evans' birthday is in March."

Babe? Rachel giggled, her momentary lapse into desolation quickly replaced by the warm fuzzy feeling inside. But,

[Rachel] 4:30pm:
"Darn it!"

[Lucy] 4:30pm:
"Sorry, tough luck. ;)"

[Rachel] 4:30pm:
"You are blonde though?"

[Lucy] 4:32pm:
"Yeah, I'll give you that. I'm blonde."

Yes!

[Rachel] 4:32pm:
"Are you a senior?"

Rachel held her breath. Please answer.

[Lucy] 4:35pm:
"No, I'm a junior."

Ohmygosh! More information! A junior! We're in the same grade! Ahh!

[Rachel] 4:36pm:
"So we're in the same grade!"

[Lucy] 4:37pm:
"Lol."

[Rachel] 4:37pm:
"Have we met?
"Or have we spoken to each other before?"

[Lucy] 4:39pm:
"Yes."

Oh, god. She could faint. They'd spoken to each other before? They'd interacted? The additional information didn't really help in narrowing down her pool of suspects. But the idea that she'd been face to face with Lucy before... she couldn't seem to wrap her mind around it. I've met her.

[Rachel] 4:42pm:
"You don't mind right? Me trying to figure out your identity?"

[Lucy] 4:43pm:
"Of course not. It's fun to see you try.
"And fail ;)
"But, to be honest, I'm a little scared of how you'll react if you do find out who I am."

[Rachel] 4:43pm:
"When*
"When I find out :)"

[Lucy] 4:43pm:
"Confident little punk, aren't you?"

[Rachel] 4:44pm:
":)"

[Lucy] 4:44pm:
"But yeah, just because we've interacted doesn't mean they were great interactions. "I've hurt you before."

Oh...

[Rachel] 4:45pm:
"But you're different now, right? You said you've changed over the past year?"

[Lucy] 4:45pm:
"Yeah, but not a lot of people see that."

[Rachel] 4:46pm:
"I'm sure I will.
"I already do. I wouldn't have fallen for you if I didn't like the person you are now."

[Lucy] 4:46pm:
"I'm gonna hold you to that, Rach."

Her heart fluttered at the shortened version of her name. It used to flutter when Finn called her that. But now, when she heard it from his lips, it just sounded condescending. Rachel wondered what it'd sound like coming from Lucy's mouth. What kind of voice she had. Smooth? Rough? High? Low? Evenly pitched? There were too many unknowns. Oh, how she wished to meet Lucy and hear her call her 'Rach' or 'babe' or whisper dirty things in her ear. She shivered. Bad, Rachel! You're in school! Think about this when you're home!

Oh, I definitely will.

---

Just walk over and say 'hi'. She's just a girl. And she's been nice to you these past few weeks. C'mon, get to it. We don't have all day. She's going to head to class soon! You want friends, don't you? Here's your chance!

The mini pep talk Rachel was giving herself was not working. She stood planted at the end of the hallway with her head peeking around the corner, eyes fixed on Quinn who was exchanging books with her locker. She'd been there for two minutes already, not to mention she also followed Quinn from Calculus.

Oh no, she's closing her locker! Go! Go go go!

Rachel's feet propelled her into action and she narrowly dodged a few accidents in the crosstream of students in the hall before falling into step next to the Cheerios captain.

"Hey, Rach."

Ooh, this was bad. The nickname from Quinn's lips was turning her to mush. Her legs, her brain, her mouth. "Ung." Bad, bad, bad. This was a bad idea. She knew she was developing a crush on the blonde. Becoming friends would only cultivate the feelings. Lucy's blonde. Would her voice be of a lower register, like Quinn's? Sultry, even?

"Um, Rachel?"

Shoot! Did she say something? "Uh... hi Quinn."

They reached the doorway of a classroom and Quinn turned to face Rachel, "Is there something you needed?"

You. Rachel's eyes widened at the thought and her face flushed. Oh my god. I am so sorry Lucy.

"Sorry!" she squeaked out, "Uh, I gotta go!"

---

[Rachel] 7:02pm:
"Please don't freak out."

[Lucy] 7:02pm:
"A little hard to do when you start a sentence with that. What happened?"

[Rachel] 7:02pm:
"But do you remember when I said you had nothing to worry about concerning that girl in my gym class?

"You might have been onto something...

[Lucy] 7:03pm:
"Oh."

[Rachel] 7:03pm:
"My feelings for you are real and run deeper than, than the ocean!
"But I seem to have developed a small, tiny little, unhealthy crush on her"

[Lucy] 7:04pm:
"Really?"

[Rachel] 7:04pm:
"I'm so sorry, I just wanted to be honest. I don't like hiding things from you.
"I know I would want to know if you've ever started feeling something for someone else. I think.

[Rachel] 7:07pm:
"Please say something."

[Lucy] 7:08pm:
"Even though she bullied you?"

[Rachel] 7:08pm:
"She's different. She's changed"

What was she doing? Why was she defending Quinn? She was making it seem like it was a bigger deal than it actually was. Which it wasn't! Stupid!

[Lucy] 7:08pm:
"Do you see something happening with her?"

So stupid! Why would she want to meet you now? Now that she has competition. Not that Quinn was actually competition. No one compared to Lucy. Lucy may very well be... the love of her life. There, she said it. She was secure enough in her feelings for Lucy to admit to this little crush on Quinn. But it didn't seem to occur to her that Lucy may not be aware of the extent of her feelings for her. Why, oh why could she never keep her mouth shut, or her thoughts to herself? The only thing she was succeeding in doing was driving a wedge between them. No, Quinn didn't mean anything to her... except that she was tangible.

[Rachel] 7:10pm:
"No! I wasn't lying, my heart is yours. It's just that, sometimes it's hard. Because she's a real live person that I can see and touch, and I know she would never return my feelings, but she's tangible.
"Not that I've ever touched her inappropriately!
"But sometimes, when I think about you, I imagine her in your place. She's blonde too, you know. And a junior. I just wonder if you look anything like her. Because I just wish I knew what you looked like.
"But her name's not Lucy. She's not you. And I only want you, Lucy. Believe me.

[Rachel] 7:12pm:
"I don't mean to put any pressure on you or anything, because I understand what you're going through, and I'd never force you to come out, especially in this town. But I just can't seem to help these thoughts.
"It's hard when you know exactly who I am and I just have a vague idea of who you are.
"I thought telling you would alleviate some of the confusion I'm feeling, but I don't think it's coming out right. I think I'm just making it worse. I'm so sorry.

[Rachel] 7:14pm:
"Part of me wants to just stop talking to her, forget about her, because you are all that matters. Really.
"But I kind of think we're becoming friends, and I really don't have too many of those. Is that selfish?
"That's totally selfish. I'm going to stop talking to her. I was going to ask her to hang out as friends sometime, but that's when I realized. Really, this whole situation is a bad idea. This conversation too. I'm sorry, I've never been in a real relationship before, and I've always thought that honesty is the best policy.

[Rachel] 7:17pm:
"But I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said anything at all.
"This stupid crush will fade once I stop talking to her. What you and I have is real. This won't fade.

[Rachel] 7:20pm:
"I'm sorry, I hate to think I've driven you away."

[Lucy] 7:22pm:
"No, it's okay. You don't have anything to apologize for. I like that you can be honest with me, even if it's about difficult topics.
"Besides, at least if you cheat on me, I can't say I didn't see it coming since you warned me."

Rachel's heart stopped, I would NEVER c- her thumbs stopped mid-type when the next message came in.

[Lucy] 7:22pm:
"That was a joke, Rach. It's okay, we're okay."

[Rachel] 7:22pm:
"That wasn't funny!"

[Lucy] 7:23pm:
"Sorry :P
"But it's great you're making new friends, even if it means I might have some competition ;)

[Rachel] 7:23pm
"You don't!"

[Lucy] 7:24pm
"Anyways, I think it's a good thing you told me. I think, I think I needed the push.
"I've been scared and hiding for so long, scared of what you would think of me.
"You've been great with not pressuring me,
"But I think I might be one step closer to telling you who I really am."

Oh my god.

[Lucy] 7:25pm:
"Though I have been enjoying your little detective schemes. Please continue them. You're so freaking adorable. Borderline hot when you get so determined like that."

[Rachel] 7:25pm:
"Really?!
"To revealing yourself?
"(And I'm blushing by the way. You aren't supposed to know about those!)"

[Lucy] 7:26pm:
"Yeah, I've been trying to plan for the perfect reveal for forever, but nothing ever seems good enough.
"I really want to blow you away.
"And you are not subtle, Rach lol. "

Rachel squealed. She was a sucker for romantic gestures.

[Rachel] 7:26pm:
"I'm a ninja!
"And I can't wait! X"

[Lucy] 7:26pm:
"Ninja in training* :P
"I just really hope you don't hate me."

[Rachel] 7:26pm:
"Hmph!
"Lucy, I could never hate you!" How could she think that?

[Lucy] 7:28pm:
"You might. The real me. The one that's not hiding behind a screen."

Rachel simply doesn't believe that's possible.

[Lucy] 7:30pm:
"There are a lot of things you don't know. Things that can change everything.
"I can only hope you won't hate me when I tell you."

Why was she being so cryptic? If anything, this was making her more antsy. What was Lucy hiding? All thoughts of sound reason were out the window. Was she a drug dealer or something? Living a double life as a teenage assassin? Maybe she wasn't even a teenager or attended McKinley. Maybe she wasn't even... real? Just a virtual persona catfishing her. If this really was a joke, where was the punchline?

[Lucy] 7:31pm:
"Because I love you."

Rachel's rambling tangent of absurd thoughts and theories came to a screeching halt at the sight of the words. No, this was real. Oh my god. She... she loves... me? Whoa. Feelings of fear and mistrust warred with the immense warmth that was spreading throughout her body at the sight of those three little words.

The warm fuzzy feeling in her won out.

[Rachel] 9:14pm:
"I love you too."

Please don't break my heart.

---

"Psst."

"Psst!"

Uhh... Mike Chang looked around. What was that sound? Was there a gas leak? At least he wasn't in the science wing. He could only imagine the kind of explosion that might happen there! But he could hear the gas... So if there was an explosion, he was probably still within range... Crap! He slammed his locker door and made a mad dash for the stairs.

"Yahh!" he yelped.

Mike felt something yank his backpack from behind and drag him into a classroom. He almost got knocked into the door frame too, but his quick reflexes had him spinning to avoid it.

Rachel?

"Rachel! We've gotta go! There's a gas leak in the school! One spark and we're all doomed!"

"...What?" she asked.

"A gas leak. Don't you hear the hissing? Listen." He stared at her, eyes wide as they could be, and they stood there in the silence, just listening and watching.

"Um, Mike, I-"

"Shhhh!" he cut her off, "You can't hear it from here. I was in the hallway when I heard it. Let's go back!"

"Mike, I don't think you can hear a gas leak..."

He looked at her, "You can't? But I heard a hsssst sound! Crap! It's too late then. We're all screwed!" Mike threw his hands in the air and fell to his knees. "I haven't even been on Dancing with the Stars yet!"

"Um... psst?"

Mikes head snapped around to look at her. "Did... did you hear that? It's moving. It's getting closer," he whispered, scrambling to his feet but still crouching down low.

"Uh, Mike... that was me... psst."

He heard the sound again and he saw her lips move.

"Oh my god, Rachel," he exclaimed, exasperated, "You gave me a freaking heart attack! I thought we were all gonna die!" Mike straightened and adjusted the backpack on his shoulders, waving at Rachel, "Well, I'll see you in Glee!"

"Wait!" she lunged at him, "Mike! I was trying to get your attention! I need your help!"

---

Outside, an Asian girl was lurking with an ear pressed against the closed door. She'd seen her boyfriend dragged into the classroom by none other than Rachel Berry. No, this won't do at all.

"Oh my god, Rachel!" It was a bit muffled, but she knew what she heard! No one steals my man! Tina Cohen-Chang stepped away and then kicked the door in. Again, and again. It wasn't giving. These doors sure are sturdy. She tried the doorknob. It wasn't even locked! Tina yanked the door open, "Get away from him!"

The two occupants startled apart and looked over at her. Tina was proud to have caught them in the act. There would be hell to pay.

Wait... what... all over their hair and clothes... was that... glitter?

---

Mike and Tina had no idea how they were talked into this absolutely insane scheme of Rachel's. She had them sitting at a table, stationed in the middle of the hallway and causing immense traffic, with her hiding under the table.

Not many people were stopping at their table though, despite the ingenious placement.

The couple spent more than half the lunch period holding hands and talking about how they could best sneak around after school without Mike's conservative parents finding out. They pretty much forgot Rachel was under the table until Mike leaned in for a kiss and accidentally kicked her in the face.

"Asian, Other Asian." The two of them looked up from where they'd been leaning down, arguing with Rachel, eyes wide. Why was Santana, or all people, stopping by their table?

"Look, I'm not paying for this shit okay?" She leaned down to grab a slip of paper from the stack and scribbled down a note. "Just make sure she gets it." Santana folded the piece of paper and put it in the jar, grabbing a handful of chocolate kisses from the bowl and striding away, blowing her own sardonic kiss at them, "See you in Glee, bitches."

It seemed Santana stopping by their table was enough to validate their little operation and soon there was a line of students waiting to write their own little love notes.

They charged $1 a note, an extra $2 if they wanted it sent with chocolates or an extra $3 if they wanted a rose. An even $5 total if they wanted the whole package. Except for Santana, of course. They waived her fee for the business she brought in.

Soon, Mike and Tina were really regretting helping Rachel. How did they even get roped into this again? They should've asked for a commission. They scrambled to control the crowd, taking all the cash being thrown at them and organizing all the notes by gender and hair color. Because only the notes written by blonde female juniors held value and were passed under the table to Rachel. There weren't many of them. But enough to additionally stress Mike and Tina out.

The bell rang, signifying the end of lunch but the line refused to shrink. Mike ducked out, out of fear that his dad might find out if he skipped a class, especially one he had a test in, and Tina spent a good five minutes scream-whispering at Rachel through the tablecloth. This girl is bat-shit insane!

"Just get up here! I can't handle this crowd! I'm this close to walking away- I seriously don't even know why I'm here in the first place!" Rachel didn't get a chance to respond because a pair of brown, worn combat boots stepped in front of her vision.

"Hey, Tina. What's going on?" Her melodic voice floated down to Rachel's ears and she shuffled away from those brown boots, closer to Tina.

"Oh, uh Ra-ow! Uh Mike and I were just trying to spread some Valentine's cheer."

"Where's Mike?" Quinn asked.

"He has a chem test," Tina replied.

"Need any help?"

"Um, yeah sure. Thanks, Quinn." Tina waited until the blonde sat down to explain what was going on. She snatched the slip of paper just dropped into a jar and shoved it under the table, catching Quinn's curious look. "Uh, yeah... so Ra- OW!" Tina kicked her leg out, smirking when she made contact with some body part of Rachel's and heard a soft grunt. Was it bad she kind of hoped it was her nose?

"Sorry, anyways. We're filtering out the notes written by blonde female juniors and giving it to the little person downstairs."

"Hi, Rachel." She could hear the smile in Quinn's voice. Darn it, Tina!

Rachel peeked her head out from under the tablecloth, sheepish, "Hi, Quinn."

"Dare I ask what this is about?"

"I'd rather you didn't, if that's okay."

Quinn just hummed and grabbed another slip of paper that was just deposited into the jar, passing it down to Rachel who gingerly took it and retreated back behind the cloth, "Thanks."

---

[Lucy] 5:47pm:
"So... what're you doing with those notes?"

[Rachel] 5:52pm:
"Gah!
"No!
"How?"

[Lucy] 5:55pm:
"Haha.
"C'mon, I told you before. You're not that subtle, babe."

[Rachel] 5:56pm:
"Ninja! I am a ninja!
"And who said they even have anything to do with you anyways?"

[Lucy] 5:57pm:
"Your reaction :P"

[Rachel] 5:57pm:
"Hmph! Well, then.
"Now I'm explicitly telling you they have nothing to do with you!"

[Lucy] 5:57pm:
"Of course not."

[Rachel] 5:57pm:
"I was just performing an act of service to the romantics of McKinley High."

[Lucy] 5:58pm:
"I believe you."

[Rachel] 5:58pm:
"...Did you write a note?"

[Lucy] 5:59pm:
"My lips are sealed. ;)"

[Rachel] 5:59pm:
":("

[Lucy] 5:59pm:
":*"

Rachel sat at her desk at home, all the slips piled in front of her. There were seventeen. Worst case scenario, none of them match her two notes and she could eliminate seventeen possible identities for Lucy. It was grueling work. There was only one Lucy - Lucy Benito - and she was immediately eliminated. Her penmanship was too skinny and slanted and really just atrocious. Not all of the notes were signed, and literally only one other was signed with an L.

Meanwhile, she had spent the past week talking to Figgins and his secretary, trying to get a list of all the juniors at McKinley, hoping to then find all the Lucy's in her grade and track them down by their schedules. But they refused! Something about privacy or whatnot. Ugh.

And she supposed her handwriting match scheme was too niche. She needed to reach a greater percentage of the blonde female juniors in her grade to get a handle on all the Lucy's. It wasn't that uncommon a name, was it? And seriously, if there weren't that many Lucy's to begin with, how could she not find her?

But Rachel pored over all of the notes anyways, studying specific words, trying to match them on her own little post in and the birthday letter she'd gotten. But the little Valentine's Day notes the students left today just had so little to work with.

Two hours later and she was only a little more than halfway. All negative so far too. Rachel yawned and stretched, her joints popping as she straightened herself.

It was late and she'd even neglected her homework. It was a good thing she'd always stayed a few days ahead on her assignments, but that buffer wouldn't last forever. She yawned again and shuffled to her bathroom to complete her nightly routine.

As she snuggled deep under her covers half an hour later, she grabbed her phone off the nightstand and sleepily sent one last text for the night, falling asleep with a smile seconds later.

[Rachel] 10:22pm:
"Goodnight, Lucy. Sweet dreams X"

[Lucy] 10:26pm:
"Gnight, love. Sleep well xx."

---

"Hey, you wanna go bowling?"

Rachel looked left and then right. "Um, me?" She asked, pointing at herself.

Quinn smiled, "See anyone else around?" Rachel looked again. Left, right, behind her. Nope, nobody else in the hallway. She shook her head

"Oh, sorry. What was the question again?"

"Bowling. Do you want to go bowling sometime?" Quinn asked, a hint of a smile crossing her features.

"Like, me... with you... and our fellow glee clubbers?"

Quinn's eyebrows dipped slightly, "No... just you and me."

"Oh. May I ask why?"

Quinn sighed, rolling her eyes, "I just thought you might want to hang out. But whatever. We don't have to." She walked past Rachel, probably annoyed.

Rachel stayed rooted to the spot for a few seconds, making faces and mouthing, What? a few times before she spun and called out, "Wait! Quinn?" She scurried over to where Quinn paused.

"I'd- I'd love to! Bowling sounds great! Um, here, let me give you my number and we'll hash out the details. Or you can give me yours." Rachel fumbled to get her phone out of her bag, missing the panicked look on Quinn's face.

"Uh, here," Quinn shoved a pen and paper under Rachel's nose to make her stop digging though her bag, "Just write down your number and I'll call you." She blushed, "Or text you." Rachel scribbled down her number and returned it to Quinn.

"Saturday, I'll pick you up," Quinn grinned, backing away before turning and disappearing around the corner.

---

"Hello, Tina. I wanted to thank you again for all your hard work with the candy-grams. They will be ready to hand out next week."

"Look, Rachel, just because Mike's dad is dropping him off at your house on Saturday doesn't mean we'll be staying there. This whole thing is just an excuse for us to hang out."

"Oh. Wait, why are you coming to my house on Saturday?" Rachel asked.

"To help you package the candy grams."

"But they're already packaged..."

Tina rolled her eyes, "Duh, but Mike's dad doesn't know that."

"Oh. I see." I really don't... "Wait, Saturday doesn't work for me."

"It doesn't matter, Rachel! We're just using you as an excuse." Tina sounded a little exasperated.

"Okay... but you're still going to help me hand them out on Monday, right?"

"Yeah, sure. Whatever."

Santana walked by the pair, "You have my message right? That better be the first thing on your list to give or there'll be hell to pay."

"Of course, Santana. You wrote a beautiful message. I honestly didn't know you were capable of such prose."

The Latina glared at Rachel, growling, "I didn't pay you to read my note. Just to deliver it." You didn't pay me at all, thought Rachel.

"Wait, why doesn't Saturday work for you? Do you have plans?" Tina asked.

"Hah!" Santana cut in, "The only plans Hobbit has are to write herself little love notes and act like someone actually likes her."

"Hey! I'll have you know that I'm actually going bowling on Saturday. With Quinn."

Rachel was met with silence.

"You're kidding. Right?" Tina finally asked.

"Are you on something? There's no way Q would willingly spend time with you."

"Hey," Rachel protested, "I will have you know I am excellent company!"

"She's totally going to kill you," Tina remarked.

Santana scoffed, "No way. I know Q. She's got something more devious planned. Death ain't gonna cut it."

Rachel stared at them like they were crazy. "I'd like to believe that Quinn and I are cultivating the beginnings of a wonderful friendship, persevering through years of adversity."

"Believe what you want. Just know it ain't the truth," Santana said, walking away.

Rachel looked at Tina who just shrugged, "She's right. Quinn's had it out for you for forever. Sorry."

---

Rachel was sitting at the piano in the choir room when half the glee club walked in.

"I can't believe she's just sacrificing herself like this. Why would Rachel even agree to it?" Rachel looked up and zeroed in on Mercedes. Were they talking about her? Did they not see her?

"Maybe Quinn promised her sweet lady kisses." Rachel flushed at Brittany's words. As if.

"Britts, c'mon. This is Q we're talking about. Girl don't got a gay bone in her body. Besides, we're also talking about Stubbles here."

"San, of course her bones aren't. But sh-"

Kurt cut her off, "You think she'll drop a bowling ball on her?"

"Nah, that's not her style," Santana fired back, "She'll probably switch out her shoes and videotape when she slides down the bowling alley and still hits none of the pins."

Puck grinned at the thought, "Ooh, that'd be a good one. Can't believe I haven't thought of that yet!"

"Excuse me!" Rachel interjected, standing. "I'm right here. None of that is going to happen. And isn't Quinn your friend? How could you think she'd do such things?"

"Yeah. She's our friend. Not yours. We know what she's capable of. I mean clearly, whatever plans she's got cooking is working. She already has you eating out the palm of her hand."

"Man, I'd like to eat her out. Ow!"

Santana smacked Puck over the head. "You had your chance, you ass. And you blew it." She turned to Rachel, "Maybe she just asked you out to stand you up. Drive home the point that no one likes you. Even as just a friend."

Seeds of doubt had been planted. The other members took their seats, chattering about their Valentine's Day plans. Rachel was just too trusting. Maybe they were right and Quinn was planning something sinister. Maybe something on theme with the holiday. Humiliating her in front of everybody and showing her that nobody would ever date her. Because she was ugly and obnoxious and just plain unlikable.

---

[Rachel] 12:02am:
"Do you really like me?
"Sorry if I woke you..."

[Lucy] 12:07am:
"It's okay, I've just been laying in bed thinking of you ;)
"And of course I do.
"In fact, I believe I've let it slip that I love you."

Rachel's heart fluttered. She'd never get used to seeing those words. I wonder how it'll feel when I actually hear the words.

[Rachel] 12:08am:
"I love you too.
"But... do you think I'm ugly? I mean like from an outsider's perspective."

[Lucy] 12:04am:
"Um. Have you missed all the times I've called you hot, sexy, beautiful, amazing, and just stupidly adorable?
"Anyone with eyes would say the same things I've been saying."

Rachel smiled softly at her phone. Well, at least she had Lucy.

[Rachel] 12:05am:
"But do you think I'm undatable? Like for other people, I mean."

[Lucy] 12:05am:
"Babe, I'd date you in a heartbeat if you still love the real me.
"And I hope others don't ask you out, cuz I want you all to myself.
"Are you considering dating other people?"

[Rachel] 12:07am:
"No! Of course not.
"And I'll always love you. 3"

[Lucy] 12:07am:
"Then what's wrong? What's bringing on all these questions?"

[Rachel] 12:07am:
"Remember that girl I told you about?"

[Lucy] 12:07am:
"The one you have a ginormous crush on?"

[Rachel] 12:08am:
"It's not ginormous! It's a teensy weensy one.
"Anyways she may have kind of asked me out?"

[Lucy] 12:08am:
"Oh?"

[Rachel] 12:08am:
"Just to hang out, I mean!"

[Lucy] 12:08am:
"Well, what'd you say?"

[Rachel] 12:09am:
"I may have said yes.
"But only because you said it was okay if I cultivated the friendship!
"Right? You're okay with it?"

[Lucy] 12:09am:
"Yeah babe, go for it.
"You need more people in your life that make you happy.
"You're worth more than what other people may lead you to believe."

[Lucy] 12:14am:
"Is that all that was bothering you?
"You were worried about upsetting me?"

Rachel smiled softly at the screen. Lucy was so understanding and supportive. How could she not love her? She sighed.

[Rachel] 12:15am:
"No, it's not that.
"It's just
"Her friends, the other people in glee club. They think that she's up to something.
"And that no one in their right mind would want to date me, let alone be friends with me.
"I don't know.
"I'm just kind of scared it's all a trick of sorts."

[Lucy] 12:17am:
"Maybe she'll surprise you."

[Rachel] 12:18am:
"Maybe.
"Hopefully."

---

Rachel was in a bathroom stall about to pee when she heard the door slam open followed by voices she recognized. She clenched her muscles, willing herself not to pee. She didn't want them to know she was there.

They stopped at the sinks, Quinn looking at herself in the mirror and Santana facing Quinn. Rachel could just barely see them through the crack in the stall door. They didn't seem to notice anyone else was in the bathroom.

"What's your game, Q?" Santana asked.

"Game?" Quinn kept her attention on her reflection, reapplying a layer of lip gloss.

"With Berry. Why'd you ask her out?"

"She's cool." Rachel's eyebrows rose at Quinn's words. I am?

Santana laughed, "Cool? You're kidding right? Are we talking about the same midget we've been tormenting for the past two and a half years?"

"We've never taken the time to get to know her."

"What? And now you have?"

Quinn just hummed in response as she touched up her makeup.

"There's something going on with you, Quinn." Rachel could almost see the squinting look Santana sent the blonde. "And I'm going to find out what." Footsteps receded and the door opened and closed. Rachel could just barely make out the soft puff of air Quinn released before leaving as well a minute later. If she weren't so preoccupied, Rachel might have given the conversation and Quinn another thought.

Instead, her bladder sighed in relief as Rachel finally emptied it into the toilet.

---

When the doorbell rang, Rachel was still in a state of undress. She squeaked and straightened. Shoot! She wasn't ready yet. She was always ready. She was always on time. She was always early. So was Quinn extra early? Rachel looked at the clock. No, Rachel was late!

Crap crap crap crap. She hopped around the room on one leg, shoving the respective legs into her thermals, then repeated the process with a pair of jeans. Rachel whirled around the room stopping by the mirror to check her hair, going to the bathroom to brush her teeth- Shirt! I need a shirt! Rachel pulled on an undershirt as she ran to her bed where she had a piles of clothes scattered. Oh no. She hadn't settled on anything to wear yet.

"Rachel?" That was her dad! Shoot! "You have a guest," he called from downstairs.

"Coming!" She grabbed the first black sweater she could reach and slipped it on, rushing downstairs.

"Hi," she said breathlessly when she reached the bottom step and was met with a very pretty, dressed up Quinn.

"Hi, Rachel. You look great. I love your hoodie." Quinn's eyes twinkled. Rachel looked down at her selection. A cute cartoon sea turtle with writing underneath, I'm the turtle package! She blushed. This was the turtle sweater Lucy said she liked. It must've been buried in the back of her closet and resurfaced when she emptied all her clothes onto her bed. "Um, thank you Quinn. You look really pretty as well."

Quinn beamed. "Ready to go?"

"Yep!" Rachel pulled on her jacket and gave her dad a kiss goodbye, "See you later!"

The ride over to the bowling alley was relatively pleasant. They focused on safe topics like school and whether they had any plans for their upcoming winter break. It was a little strange, having civil conversation with Quinn. It was nice.

But if she wanted to cultivate this friendship, she had to dig a little deeper, right?

"So, uh. Are you dating anyone?"

Quinn glanced at her from the corner of her eye, "Mm, it's complicated."

Rachel's brows furrowed. What the heck does that mean?

"Are you?" Quinn quirked up an eyebrow at her. Rachel opened her mouth, and paused. Suddenly, Quinn's 'it's complicated' response made much more sense. She and Lucy had flirted, professed their love to each other, and even had phone sex - she whispered that last part in her head - but they'd never been on any actual dates. They hadn't exactly made things 'official' either. "I suppose it's complicated as well. But I'd like to believe we're headed in that direction."

"Oh? So there is someone?"

Rachel blushed and turned to look out the window, "Yes."

"Me too. I've been crushing on someone for a while."

"Oh, really?" Rachel's interest was piqued. "Is it Sam?"

"Nope," the last syllable popped as it left her lips. Hmm. "We broke up remember?" That was true. She wondered who else might've caught Quinn's eye. "Is it Finn again?" Quinn couldn't stop the laugh that escaped her. That confused Rachel.

"Definitely not. I honestly don't know what either of us saw in him. Although maybe it w-" She cut herself off.

"Maybe what?" Rachel asked.

"Nothing. But I think we're both better off without him." The car rolled to a stop and Quinn put the car in park before looking over at her passenger, "Ready?" Rachel nodded and they slipped out of the car. "Have you been here before?"

"No... Actually I'm not entirely sure where we are right now..." Rachel spun a full 360 taking in her surroundings. It was a pretty populated area with other stores and attractions. "Are we still in Lima?"

Quinn laughed - Rachel didn't think she'd ever get tired of listening to it. "We drove for almost an hour and you didn't realize we'd left Lima? I thought you were more observant than this, Berry." Rachel flushed slightly at the jab. But Quinn's tone was light and she knew not to take it seriously. It was a joke. She liked that she could make Quinn laugh.

"No, we're actually in Kenton. I came here with Santana and Brittany all the time over the summer. A few of the cheerleaders from the Bandits showed it to us last year. We haven't been since school started though."

"Why didn't you come with them today?" Rachel asked.

"I didn't think you'd enjoy Santana's company much. And vice versa."

"I meant, why come with me instead of them?"

"I wanted to," Quinn said.

And Rachel didn't know what to say to that. How could Santana and Puck be right about Quinn pulling a prank on her? They weren't even at a place where people from school would recognize them. There would be no satisfaction from humiliating her. And Quinn invited her instead of Santana and Brittany. That had to mean something, right? It was a nice feeling, to be wanted.

She was so lost in thought, she missed Quinn paying for their rentals and lane. "Hey, wait. How much do I owe you?"

"Don't worry about it," she smiled, "I invited you."

Well this was feeling an awful lot like a date... "I get an allowance though," Rachel protested, "I can pay my share."

"I don't mind," Quinn said as she crouched down to browse the bowling ball selection, "If you really want to, you can pay for the snacks we order."

Rachel nodded her head vigorously, "Okay!"

They each grabbed a ball and carried it to their lane where they laced on their new shoes. Quinn went to get another ball while Rachel inputed their names into the system.

"Have you bowled before?" Quinn asked.

Rachel looked up from the computer, "Um, a few times. With my dads when I was younger. But I'm not particularly good. You'll probably wipe the floor with me."

"I can give you a few tips later, if you want?"

"Oh, sure. That'd be great, Quinn. Thanks!"

The first game Rachel played without any help or input from Quinn. She got crushed, as expected, scoring a solid 50 to Quinn's 210.

"Why can't we use the gutter rails?" Rachel knew she was whining, but she couldn't bring herself to care. Quinn scored more than four times her! It wasn't fair! She needed a handicap!

"If you're using the rails, you're not really bowling. Besides, doesn't it feel more satisfying when you actually hit them?"

"...I guess," she plopped down, pouting as Quinn reset the board.

"C'mon, cheer up. I'll help you out this game."

Rachel immediately perked up, "That'd be great! Maybe I'll be scoring in the 200s in no time."

"Whoa, don't get ahead of yourself," Quinn chuckled, "You don't even know if I'm a good teacher. Well actually, I know that. What I don't know is whether you're a good student."

"I am an exceptional student and will beat you by the end of today, provided you are as good a teacher as you claim to be."

"Oh, I am. But we'll see."

Quinn lined up to take her first shot, curtsying low as the ball left her fingers, curving from the right to the center and knocking down seven of the ten pins. Her next throw knocked down the remaining three. Rachel could do nothing else but sit in awe. I really hope she's as good a teacher as she claims. I can't wait to hit a spare. Maybe even a strike!

Rachel walked over to the ball machine and reached down to grab her ball when Quinn's hand landed on hers, stilling her actions. She felt tingles.

"So, first thing. I think you're bowling balls that are way too light.

"But I've always used the six pound ball. It's easier to throw and it goes faster than the heavier ones. I've tried before. Plus the last time I used a heavier ball, I dropped it on my daddy's foot. We had to go to the emergency room to get an X-ray done."

Quinn stared at her. And took a small step back.

"I was 11!" Rachel exclaimed. Quinn's stoic features broke into a smile, "Of course you were. So I think you may be a little more mature now, even though you might not look it, what with your height and all-"

"Hey!"

"But so a heavier ball will give you more power when it hits the balls. Just because it's slower doesn't mean it's bad." Quinn grabbed her by the arm and tugged her to the rack of bowling balls. "And we're not gonna go that much heavier that you start sending people to the hospital. Just a little more.

"Here," Quinn handed Rachel an 9 pound swirly shimmery yellow bowling ball, "Hold this in your palm and see how long you can hold it." After about half a minute, Quinn told her to put it down and handed her a different ball, this one a neon yellow. 11 pounds. "Do the same with this one." Heavier, but manageable, Rachel thought. Quinn took it back and handed her a yellow orange colored ball with a red 14 emblazoned on it after that, but Rachel almost dropped it immediately.

"Okay!" Quinn exclaimed, taking the last one away before another foot broke and returned it to the rack, "So I think we should go with either a 9 or 10 pound ball, even though you can probably go up to 12. You'll still have some sort of control over it since it's not too heavy but you'll be able to knock down more pins than the 6 pound ball." Rachel nodded along.

"We'll use this one," Quinn handed her the first ball she tried, "And here's a 10 pound one." She grabbed a yellow fiery ball similar to the one Rachel almost dropped and headed back to their lane with Rachel in tow. It was a very nice design. In fact, all of them were. She loved all the different shades and mixes of color.

Rachel really was enjoying herself. She was mildly upset that she lost the first game, even though she expected it before they even started. She had a mean competitive streak that Quinn seemed to match. But Quinn was also willing to share her trade secrets so Rachel couldn't be too mad. She happily soaked up all the tips she could, trying her best to commit them to memory. Rachel had half a mind to pull out a pen and paper to take notes, but she was too scared of Quinn making fun of her. She didn't need to give the other girl any more ammunition against her.

Except she was so focused on mentally reciting everything Quinn just said so she wouldn't forget that she didn't notice Quinn slipping behind her and melding her body around hers. Every single thought that occupied her mind just dissolved with a poof.

Rachel's nerve endings were on fire as one hand settled on her left hip while the other brushed against her right arm, which fell slack against her side. Rachel was very surprised and very grateful that the ball hadn't slipped from her grasp. Yet. Quinn slid her hand down to Rachel's, leaving a trace of tingling in its wake.

"Okay," Quinn murmured into her ear, "Remember, you're going to start with the ball held to your chest." She nudged Rachel's arm up into place, basically embracing the shorter girl.

Oh my god.

Her senses were being sent into overdrive and Rachel didn't know what to focus on. A floral scent mixed with something that was just Quinn filled her nostrils, Quinn's breath and whispered words tickled against her ear, her touch burned through Rachel's clothes at the hip, Quinn's hand so soft on the back of hers, sending tingling sensations everywhere. Everything else filtered out and it was just her and Quinn.

Quinn's entire front pressed flush against her- the swell of her breasts, a thigh slipped between hers. It was such a strange feeling actually. Finn always towered over her and she never realized how out of proportion she felt to him. Quinn was taller as well, but not so much that she felt dwarfed in her embrace.

"And when you bring your arm back..." Rachel did as she was told and extended her arm back, Quinn gently following suit, "...you want to keep a firm grip on the ball. Like this." She pressed against Rachel's hand, nudging it into position.

"Good." Rachel shivered, goodness, what was Quinn doing to her? She felt like her entire body was aflame. "And now, when you do that again, just walk towards the edge of the lane," Quinn nudged her arm back to her chest, embracing her again, as she gently guided Rachel forward, matching her step for step. "Keep an eye on where you want the ball to go, that middle arrow... arm back as you go, crouch a little," Rachel felt slight pressure from the hand on her hip, "...swing forward... release!"

The ball flew from Rachel's hand and landed on the wooden alley with a loud THUD.

It rolled slowly, building its power as Rachel's anticipation grew. The speed was agonizing. She hadn't had as much of a running start with Quinn guiding her and this ball was heavier. But the ball was halfway down the lane and it remained true to its path. Not perfectly center, just a little off to the right, but just enough that when it finally made impact, a cacophony of falling pins sounded.

Rachel's eyes widened as the pins fell like dominoes, breath held as the last pin twirled on its edge before surrendering to gravity. Her arms flew up, punching the sky and she turned, still in Quinn's embrace. She flung her arms around Quinn's neck and squealed, "I got a strike, Quinn! I got a strike!" Rachel felt the other girl's arms wrap around her waist and tighten as she whispered, "Told ya it'd be more satisfying without the gutter rails." Rachel rolled her eyes but didn't dispute it. Because of course, Quinn was right.

Her strike seemed to be a victim of beginner's luck though, as she failed to get another the rest of the game. She did manage to get a spare, with Quinn's guidance, and overall was doing much better than the first game.

By the third game, Rachel actually bowled two strikes in a row, the second she could claim as her own, without Quinn's help. When she was finally bowling on her own though, without Quinn pressing behind her, Rachel almost wished she was bowling gutter balls again, just so she could feel Quinn against her again.

It was actually quite thrilling to be this close to Quinn, spending this much time with her, without either of them screaming at the other. She'd always wanted to be friends with Quinn. Until the slushies and the name calling and the pornographic pictures. At that point, any thoughts of nurturing a friendship between them vanished from Rachel's mind, and the two began their feud over one Mr. Finn Hudson.

Except, then Quinn got pregnant and suddenly she wasn't this superficial... bitch anymore. She had depth. She was a real person, capable of real feelings. At least that's what Rachel hoped was true. She could still hear Santana in the back of her mind, taunting and mocking her, laughing at her gullibility.

Wait.

The laughter was getting louder. Rachel whirled around as the sound grew nearer, the sinking feeling growing in her gut. Was that actually Santana laughing?

Oh no. No no no. What were they doing here? It was Santana, Brittany, Artie, Tina, and Mike. Rachel didn't know if she was a little put off or glad that she wasn't invited to hang out with them. Maybe if she just ignored them, if she didn't look at them and they didn't see her, they would just pass by without interacting. But alas, it seemed they knew exactly where the pair would be and headed straight for them.

"Hey, look. It's Q and Stubbles! What're you guys doing here?"

Rachel glanced at Quinn, wondering if she'd invited the group. Humiliation could still be on the menu for tonight. There were people that knew them now. But she saw Quinn stiffen slightly before turning to greet her friends.

---

Well. This was awkward.

"I like your sweater."

"Thanks, Brittany."

"Did you know Quinn likes turtles too?"

"No, that's interesting," Rachel replied absentmindedly. Where was Quinn? Why did she leave her with these vultures? Okay, so Brittany wasn't so bad. Neither were Mike and Tina, since they were mostly focused on themselves, bowling in their own lane. Artie was just staring at Brittany, who was now staring at her. So it was really just Santana, who was laying across the row of seats looking bored out of her mind.

"I much prefer ducks," Brittany said.

Rachel couldn't take it anymore, "How did you even know where to find us?"

Santana took this one, swinging her legs over and sitting up. "You literally told us, dimwit. 'Ohh, I'm going on a date with Quinn this Saturday. We're going bowling!'" she said in a falsetto voice, clapping her hands with faux excitement at the end. Santana rolled her eyes. "We just had to see what Q has in store."

"W- This isn't a date!" Rachel could feel the heat rising around her neck. She fought the urge to tug at her collar.

"Yeah, as if you don't wish it were one. It's kind of pathetic really." Santana caught the wide eyed look Rachel was sporting, "Yeah, what? You think we were blind to your little schoolboy crush on Quinn?"

"I- I don't have a crush on Quinn! I like someone else!"

"If that's what you want to tell yourself. Denial ain't just a river in Egypt."

"Did you know there's no i in denial?" Brittany added, tilting her head to the side in thought.

Rachel barely gave her a glance before bolting up out of her seat, "So what?! So what if I have a crush on Quinn? Not that I do. But what does that matter? We're two friends just hanging out and having a good time tonight."

"I'm just giving it to you straight," Santana shrugged, "You and Q aren't friends. She's gonna break that little heart of yours and I'm gonna sit back and enjoy the show."

Rachel refused to be put down like this. To believe anything Santana was saying. She had Lucy now, in her corner supporting her. And she kind of had Quinn.

They'd been having such a great time tonight, talking, laughing... touching. They were friendly... they were becoming friends. It couldn't all be a lie... Quinn wasn't that good an actress, faking laughs that were way too genuine, forcing herself to touch Rachel anymore than necessary, willing to pay for everything... was she?

No. She refused to believe that. She glanced at Brittany and Artie, who were now rubbing noses with each other.

"Just because you're experiencing some unrequited love and rejection of your own doesn't give you the right to stomp on the hearts of others. Not that my heart's at risk." Rachel watched as Santana's eyes widened before morphing into an ugly glare. "Bitch," she hissed.

Rachel braced herself for the impending attack, verbal or physical. She was definitely not prepared for the other girl slumping back against her seat, eyes filling with tears. The scowl did not leave her face. Rachel shifted. Was she supposed to apologize? She'd lashed out in anger, sure, but she was only defending herself. But just because Santana was a bitch didn't mean Rachel should be too.

She took a half step forward but Santana bared her teeth and her glare somehow intensified and Rachel stumbled back into her seat. Where the heck is Quinn? Rachel slipped out her phone and pulled up Lucy's contact. She itched to update Lucy on her night, gush about Quinn, vent about Santana, and really just not feel so lonely and awkward right now. But there was just so much swirling around in her head that she didn't know where to start.

[Rachel] 8:12pm:
"Hey."

Rachel stared at her phone, waiting for a response, until she couldn't anymore. There was nothing. She wondered what Lucy was doing. Was she out, hanging with her own friends? At someone's house? At a party? Spending the night I'm with her mom? Probably not that last one, Rachel smiled sadly. She knew Lucy had a rough relationship with her mom, not to mention her prick of a father. But she was probably out doing something. Lucy hated staying in.

When she finally looked up from her phone, it seemed that she was once again alone. Brittany and Artie had joined the Asian couple at their lane and started a new game. Santana was nowhere to be seen.

Still no sign of Quinn. Rachel finally set out to look for her. Did she leave? She couldn't just leave, right? She was her ride. But the moment the thought crossed her mind, the more she feared it to be true.

What better prank than to strand her in the middle of nowhere, a few towns away from home. Would she have to grovel to Santana for a ride home? Rachel's steps quickened as she passed each lane, eyes frantically scanning for the blonde. Despite the surprisingly many blonde heads in this bowling alley, none of them belonged to Quinn.

Okay, calm down. She has to be here somewhere. Rachel tried to reassure herself, but it wasn't working. Her heart was racing, her palms were sweating, she just felt so uncomfortable in this damn hoodie. She wasn't looking where she was going and spun right into someone and their tray of pizza and nachos. Thankfully, the other person had quick reflexes and spun away in response, saving them both from red and orange stains. Not that they'd actually show on Rachel's hoodie. But she'd know. She'd smell it. And yet another thing of hers would be ruined.

"Whoa, watch it freak!" they exclaimed.

Rachel startled, "Quinn!"

"Oh, hey! Sorry, Rachel. What're you doing knocking people over?"

"You ran into me!"

An eyebrow rose in challenge. God, that eyebrow was sexy. Rachel flushed. "Anyways, I thought you stranded me here!" she said, gently smacking Quinn in the shoulder.

"I wouldn't do that," Quinn said softly. The sincerity in her voice and features caught Rachel by surprise and she swallowed thickly. "I just went to get some snacks for everyone." Rachel didn't know why it kind of bothered her that Quinn was buying everyone food. Maybe she thought this side of Quinn was something reserved for her. Stupid, right?

"Wait, I thought I was buying the snacks," Rachel questioned. "Oops," Quinn grinned cheekily, not at all apologetic. Rachel rolled her eyes with fondness and turned to head back to their lane.

"Wait," Quinn grabbed Rachel's arm, "I uh. I wanted to tell you something."

"O-oh, okay. What is it Quinn?" Rachel stepped back to fully face the other girl, watching as she placed the tray of food on the counter beside them.

"I- uh," she stuttered, smoothing her dress down at the legs. Rachel has never seen Quinn so unsure of herself. She felt a small spike of anxiety about what Quinn had to say that would cause her to act this way.

"My birthday's in February!" Quinn eventually blurted out, wide hazel eyes meeting Rachel's, "And, and I love pink! Even though yellow doesn't seem like a bad color anymore. And..."

"O-oh okay. Is your birthday coming up? Or did it pass? Oh my gosh, is it today, Quinn? I'm so sorry, I didn't know!"

Some of the nervousness seemed to melt away from Quinn's features as a small smile took over, "No, it was actually on Thursday."

Rachel smiles brightly, "Well, happy belated birthday! I hope it was a good one, even though we had to be in school all day."

"Thanks." A silence soon washed over them, Rachel itching to ask why she'd brought it up. And why she thought Rachel needed to know she liked the color pink and maybe yellow.

Oh no, was she expecting some sort of color coded birthday gift? "I'm sorry I-"

"You're beautiful," Quinn cut her off. Rachel was thinking her face was going to be perpetually stuck in this stat of shock, eyes wide and mouth slightly ajar. Quinn's eyes shone with a genuineness and desperation that Rachel couldn't even try to fight the statement. Not that she would. Her heart had skipped a beat at the words. No one's ever called her beautiful before, only Lucy. And it was different hearing the words rather than reading them.

"Oh! Uh, thank you Quinn. That means a lot coming from you. I think you are quite beautiful yourself."

She watched as Quinn flushed slightly and then roll her eyes and look away. Was... was she annoyed at her? Did she not mean it? What was going on?

"Geez, I don't know why this is so hard," Quinn muttered to herself before making eye contact again. "Rachel, I... I lo-" She stopped short. And swore under her breath. Quinn tried again, "Rachel, I'm Lu-" But the words stuck in her throat.

Rachel was very confused and a little exasperated. She was trying to be patient, but the smell of pizza and fries was invading her senses and she was suddenly remembering she hadn't eaten since a late breakfast. She'd been too nervous to eat lunch before Quinn arrived to pick her up. Her stomach was a very distracting organ. She eyed the pizza on the tray. Cheese was such a terrible guilty pleasure of hers. Just think of those poor cows! Wait no, she was hungry. She had to not think about the poor cows... but now they were on her mind. Gah!

She was so lost in her hunger crazed mind, just staring at the food on the counter, she never saw Quinn coming.

All she knew was that her line of sight to the pizza was replaced by Quinn's face, suddenly so big and so close, and that the softest things ever imaginable were being pressed against her lips. Almost automatically, Rachel's eyes fluttered shut. Was it because she hadn't been kissed in so long and she ached for the touch of another person? Was it because it was Quinn?

It started out gentle and chaste, but when Rachel didn't immediately pull away, Quinn grew bolder and parted her lips, taking Rachel's bottom lip between her own and sucking on it. The action sent shooting sensations all throughout her body, and Rachel inhaled sharply. Quinn took the opportunity to invade Rachel's mouth with her tongue, reveling in the silky warmth that lay within.

God, what was Quinn doing to her? A hand snaked up to her neck, pulling her closer, if that was even possible. Teeth grazed against lips and a moan escaped. She couldn't even tell who it came from. Rachel felt the edge of the counter dig into her back as Quinn pressed her against it, her other hand wandering down to her hip and pulling Rachel against her.

Explosions set off behind her lids. Her tongue slid against Quinn's and she grew dizzy- if it was from the intensity of the kiss, the lack of oxygen, the inexplicable sexual hunger that had been awakened within her, or something else, she didn't know. She hadn't felt this aroused- from a kiss no less!- since that night she orgasmed with Lucy.

Lucy!

Rachel's eyes shot open, oh my god! and she used everything she had in her to grab Quinn by the shoulders and push her away. A part of her immediately regretted it as a sudden feeling of coldness and emptiness embraced her.

The two of them stood, just a few feet apart, both trying to catch their breath. Rachel stared at the other girl, stared at the tousled blonde hair and the flushed face. Those hooded eyes filled with wanton desire. She...she had done that? To Quinn? What had even possessed Quinn to kiss her in the first place? She... she had been trying to tell her something, right? The next thing she knew, her lips were on hers!

Rachel raised a hand to her lips, swollen and tender. She couldn't believe she'd forgotten about Lucy. Sweet, amazing, wonderful, lovable Lucy. She loved Lucy. And now her worst fears were coming true. She'd cheated on her. How could Lucy ever want to enter a relationship with her now?

Rachel's hand moved of its own accord and slapped Quinn across the cheek, shocking then both.

"Oh my god, Quinn! I'm so sorry!" She pulled back her hands, covering her mouth in horror, "I- I didn't mean to s-slap you! I just... I- I like someone else! How dare you just kiss me out of the blue like that! What- Are- Was this your plan all along? To- to weaken my defenses and then... and then ambush me in front of everyone and... and claim I molested you or something?" Rachel's panic had deteriorated into anger and now it was morphing into despair as she looked everywhere but at Quinn.

"It was supposed to be with Lucy," she whispered, "My first girl kiss was supposed to be with Lucy. I love her." She looked up at Quinn, "And you took that away from me!" She straightened and turned away.

"W-wait! Rachel!" Quinn had been too stunned to do anything more than stand and take whatever Rachel threw at her, physically and verbally. But she couldn't just let Rachel walk away, not without knowing the truth. She ran after the other girl and grabbed her arm, "Rachel! That's what I'm trying to tell you! I'm Lucy!"

Rachel froze in her tracks, stumbling back when Quinn's tug on her arm met no resistance. The realization hit her like a bucket of ice cold water. No... Lucy... Quinn? She turned, slowly, to face Quinn. No. It simply couldn't be. "You- No... you... You saw my phone! You're sick for, for doing this. I've taken your taunts and name calling and slushie throwing and... and your pornographic drawings of me!"

"Rach-" Quinn tried to interject, but Rachel was undeterred, stepping forward and jabbing a finger at the blonde.

"But I will not let you play with my heart like this. I cannot believe that you- you looked through my phone! How much did you see? How much did you read about me and Lucy? How could you take something so pure as our love for each other and twist it into this ugly thing for your own personal gain? I can't believe I thought you were changing, that we were even becoming friends! And it's not even like I didn't see it coming either. Santana and Puck of all people warned me.

"I don't know what I was thinking. Of course I should know that no one wants to be my friend. Poor ugly, obnoxious, dwarf, tranny little Rachel, right? Crushing on the most popular girl at school. Using my sexuality against me. God."

Rachel turned, unable to stare at the shell-shocked look on Quinn's face any longer. You probably can't believe I rejected your advances. Or that I saw right through your scheme. God, I'm such an idiot.

---

Rachel sat in the dingy bathroom stall, trying her best to keep the sobs at bay. She'd just called her dads to pick her up, stating she didn't feel well and didn't want to make Quinn leave her friends here. She didn't even know why she was still defending the girl.

She'd waited outside for a total of five minutes before she realized the temperature had dropped drastically from when they arrived that afternoon and it was dark and she was in an unfamiliar town. She ran back inside and headed straight for the bathroom, faltering for a moment as she passed by the food counter. She still hadn't eaten dinner! Her stomach rumbled. But her feet carried her past the window before she could make a decision and she sighed, thinking it probably best she didn't stay out in the open for too long anyways.

Her phone buzzed in her hand, displaying previews of the texts received on the lock screen. Texts she couldn't bring herself to open just yet.

Wait. It was Lucy. She'd responded.

[Lucy] 8:45pm:
"I told you that you'd hate me, I..."

What? Why would I hate you, Lucy?

[Lucy] 8:43pm:
"Rachel, I'm sorry."

[Lucy] 8:40pm:
"Please, tell me you're okay. Where..."

I'm Lucy. Quinn's words echoed in her mind. No... It was a joke. It had to be a joke.

Another text.

[Lucy] 8:48pm:"Rachel, it's Quinn. Please answer..."

Quinn... It couldn't be. Lucy... Lucy wouldn't do that. Pretend to be Quinn. How did Quinn find her? Find her before I did? Of course... Lucy was a Cheerio. Quinn must've seen her phone, seen their messages, not Rachel's. Rachel hadn't even taken her phone out more than twice all night. Poor Lucy, yet another victim of associating with the likes of someone on the bottom of the social hierarchy. Rachel finally unlocked her phone and pulled up her messages.

[Rachel] 8:50pm:
"What did you do to Lucy?"

The response was immediate.

[Lucy] 8:50pm:
"Rachel, I am Lucy!"

[Rachel] 8:50pm:
"Did you drug her and steal her phone or something?"

[Lucy] 8:51pm:
"What? Rachel what are you talking about?
"Can I call you?
"I need to explain."

Rachel's eyes bugged out and she almost dropped her phone. Call me?!

Her phone vibrated in her hand. Lucy. She was calling. The name flashed on the screen. Lucy. Quinn.

So... she'd spent months loving someone that didn't exist?

Loving a name.

Rachel didn't answer.

The phone stilled and the screen went black. Would she try again? Rachel didn't know if she'd have the resolve to not answer if she tried to call again. She did want answers, but she was scared of what it all meant.

She sat in the silent restroom under the blinding fluorescent lights, thoughts swirling through her mind. Quinn had never even texted her. I gave her my number at school... and she never texted me. I asked for hers first and she turned the tables on me. I didn't even care because I thought I was making a friend. How could I have been so blind? She knew... all this time. How could I be so stupid?

When her phone vibrated again, it wasn't Lucy- or Quinn. It was a text from her daddy telling her he was outside. Rachel pocketed her phone and drew in a shuddering breath, rubbing the dried tears from her face. She felt so raw.

She risked an extra minute in the open to splash her face with a little water before slipping out of the bathroom, carefully keeping an eye out for anyone she knew.

Rachel made it two steps out the building before spotting Quinn with Santana walking up behind her just a few yards away from the entrance. Rachel dove to the opposite side, grabbing a shopping cart as a guise to get to the parking lot.

A sigh of relief escaped- they hadn't noticed her. But their voices carried in the silent night and Rachel couldn't help but stop, crouched behind a car, and listen.

"Where'd the tranny go?" That was Santana. Rachel slowly rose so just the top of her head might be visible, and she watched the two girls as they talked.

"Don't call her that," Quinn said softly.

Santana scoffed, "Why not? Aren't you the one that came up with that name anyways?"

"I know. I regret it. It's not nice. And it's not true."

"What, have you seen her naked?"

"No. But you know that's not the point."

"So what is the point?" Santana said, throwing her hands up in the air, "What was the point of driving her all the way out here, Quinn? What do you have planned?"

"I..." Quinn seemed at a loss for words. "Nothing. I don't have anything planned."

"Bullshit. You blew me and Britt off for Berry and I wanna know why."

Quinn turned to face Santana, face stoic and teeth clenched. "I didn't tell you guys to come out here, did I? And is it so hard to believe that I don't have anything planned? That I just- that I want to be her friend? She's not a bad person, Santana. We're the bad people. For bullying her all these years. I-" She faltered, turning away again to stare into the dark empty night.

Quinn took a deep breath, as if steeling herself for what she was about to admit, because once she said it, there would be no taking it back, "I like her, okay?"

Rachel ducked away as Quinn's gaze swept over her hiding spot, but not before she caught the slight flush that graced Quinn's cheeks. Although, under the dim lighting from the bowling alley sign, it could've just been a product of the cold nipping at her skin... But when Rachel peeked around the side of the sedan she was pressed against, she could tell Santana noticed it too, because she frowned. Quinn drew her coat closer around her, crossing her arms across her chest, refusing to look at her friend.

"Are you..." Santana paused, "You like her?" After a beat, Quinn's head bobbed once. Rachel would've missed it if she hadn't been outright staring at her. "You... you like her," Santana repeated, more firmly this time, in a tone Rachel didn't quite understand. Again, Quinn nodded, this time adding a soft 'yeah' to her response. The pair didn't say anything else and Santana pulled Quinn to her by the shoulder, enveloping her in a fierce hug.

Rachel wasn't quite sure what was going on between the two but she took the opportunity to continue down the row of cars, crouched out of view, until she reached the end of the lot where her daddy was waiting.

"I just hope she's okay. I don't even know how she's getting home." She heard Quinn mumble against Santana's shoulder as she passed by.

The seed of guilt was planted and once she buckled herself into the passenger seat, she pulled out her phone, thumbs hovering over the keyboard.

[Rachel] 9:06pm:
"My daddy picked me up." I'll see you Monday, she started typing. But she deleted it, because she wasn't quite sure if she was ready to face Quinn yet. Because she didn't quite understand what had just happened, in the bowling alley and in the parking lot. Rachel was grateful her daddy didn't ask any more questions after she said she was tired and just wanted to go home.

[Lucy] 9:08pm:
"Thank you for letting me know. Get home safe. I really am sorry. Goodnight. x"

Rachel stared at that small little x the whole ride home.

---

Lucy is Quinn. Quinn... is Lucy. What. The. Fuck. Rachel rarely cursed, but she felt this situation warranted it.

She lay in bed, staring at the ceiling trying to playback every conversation, every interaction- through the phone and in person. So many things just... seemed to fall in place.

Could Quinn really be... Lucy? Could Quinn actually... love her? She just couldn't wrap her head around the thought. But she'd heard Quinn admitting to liking Rachel to Santana, to wanting to be friends. Quinn hadn't told her about how humiliated Rachel was after the reveal. That... that had to mean something, right?

My birthday's in February. Last Thursday, in fact. Why didn't she make the connection when Quinn said that? And, and the colors. Reminiscent of a conversation they had months ago. A blonde, junior Cheerio. But why Lucy? Why would she lie about her name? She never planned on giving her real name. She gave the letter L right off the bat. And if she lied about her name, what else has she lied about?

You're beautiful. Lucy- or Quinn- has been the only one to ever say that to her. Did she mean it? And what about the time she called her hot? Oh god. The racy texts they'd sent each other. Rachel was completely mortified. She smothered her face with a pillow. How could that have been with Quinn? President of the Celibacy Club?

There was no way. She remembered Finn always complaining how Quinn wouldn't put out, always limiting the kissing and the touching. Always over the bra at most. Never any further. Well if Quinn told the truth that night, they certainly went further than she'd gone before- not including her drunk encounter with Puck, because come on, Quinn could barely remember that night and she hadn't even climaxed!

Rachel had done that though. I did that. She'd brought beautiful, popular, 'frigid' Quinn to orgasm with words alone. Then again, that was before she knew Rachel was Rachel.

But when Quinn found out who she was, she hadn't run away... Rachel was the one who ran and Lu- Quinn chased her. Why would she do that? Rachel had given her the perfect out, to end what they had, even though her own heart was breaking. But Quinn persisted, and gave Rachel one of the best birthday gifts ever. She tucked the pillow under her chin, bringing her wrist into view, playing with the charms that dangled. Her fingers gravitated to the turtle.

Lucy loved her turtle sweater. The one with the terrible pun she wore yesterday. Quinn said she loved it too. And she'd smiled that, that secretive little smile when she said it. Even Brittany said Quinn loved turtles. How could she have been so blind?

Rachel rolled over, reaching for her phone off the nightstand. Quinn had left a message last night when she didn't pick up. She also hadn't sent anymore texts since the goodnight one. As much as she wanted the space, Rachel also ached to talk to her. Lucy, Quinn, whoever. Her head was a mess and she had no one to talk to. She hadn't realized how much she'd come to rely on L-Quinn's spontaneous texts.

Hello? Rachel? Rachel, I'm so sorry. She sounded so shaky and out of breath. I- I had everything planned out. I was going to take you out bowling, on a date- because yes, today was supposed to be a date- woo you with my skills and, and then I- I had this whole speech written out about how I'd tell you that I'm Lucy. But then everyone showed up and I was knocked so off guard I panicked. I forgot everything I wanted to say, you were just standing there, looking so beautiful, so... so, just you, that I just couldn't help myself. I'm so sorry I just ambushed you like that, with the kiss. I'm so sorry, Rachel. But I'm Lucy. I'm Lucy...

There was a pause and Rachel's heart couldn't help but ache at the sound of Quinn taking in a shuddering breath.

My name is Lucy Quinn Fabray and I love you, Rachel Berry. I've fallen for you over the past few months and I don't know how I never saw you before. Never saw that underneath all that hideous argyle is this beautiful, wonderful, caring soul. But I see that now. And I'm so sorry for all the hell I've put you through the last few years, but I'm changing. I'm trying. And if- if you don't want me, if you hate me- her voice cracked, I understand. And I'll leave you alone. But until you say those words to my face, I'm going to try my damnedest to show you how much I love you and how much I want this with you. How much I want you.

-click-

How could Rachel not fall for her? As confused as she was by the whole Lucy/Quinn situation, she couldn't deny that the feelings were still there. Her heart swelled at the words, and the brokenness in Quinn's words. She'd been hurt yesterday, sure, but that had only been amplified because of the depth of her feelings for L-... for Quinn.

"Quinn," she murmured, feeling the name roll in her mouth, "I love... I love Lucy... Quinn... Fabray. I love Lucy Quinn Fabray." She giggled, "I love Quinn Fabray!"

She played the message again, and again, and again, smiling at the nervousness in Quinn's voice. The sincerity. The resolve when she declared her love. She loves me! I love her!

Suddenly, she couldn't wait for school on Monday. Tomorrow. To see Quinn. To see how she was going to woo her. She'd never been wooed before. She'd always been the pursuer, the aggressor, the one with feelings that ran deeper. It'd be nice to be on the other side. To be at least on equal ground with someone who liked her just as much as she liked them.

---

Quinn sat at her desk scribbling furiously on a piece of paper for several minutes. She finally put her pen down and scanned the page. No. Not good enough. She crumpled up the paper and tossed it behind her to join the ten or so other crumpled paper balls on the floor.

Gah, why was this so hard?

Because it had to be perfect. She didn't know if Rachel had listened to her voice message yet- if she ever would- so Quinn was acting under the assumption that she didn't.

After another two attempts, Quinn finally put her pen down, reaching for her drawer and pulling out a little white box.

Bzzt. Bzzt. Bzzt.

She put the box down with a frown and reached over to where her phone was charging. It was late. Who was calling-

Her heart stopped. She froze. The name flashed on the screen. She was calling. She was calling. She was calling! the phone buzzed again and she was shaken out of her stupor. Pick up the dang phone before she hangs up, dumbass!

Quinn fumbled with the phone for a few seconds, almost yanking the charger out the wall and answered with a shaky breath.

"Hello?"

"Hi Quinn!" Her eyes widened at the chipper tone that greeted her.

"R-Rachel?" Shit. What do I say? Quinn leapt out of her seat, falling onto her knees to sift through the mess of crumpled up apology drafts. Why is she giggling? Why does she sound so happy? Was it a good sign? A sign that she wasn't angry at Quinn anymore? That she forgave Quinn for lying?

She picked up one of the paper balls and opened it, straightening it best she could with one hand so she could read it.

"Quinn... I love you too."

Wait. W-what? Quinn froze, just listening to Rachel breathe on the other side of the phone.

"Say that again," she whispered.

Rachel giggled again, "I love you, Lucy Quinn Fabray."

Oh my bacon. She listened to it. She loves me too. Oh my.

"I love you too, Rachel. So freaking much."

She could hear the smile in Rachel's voice, "I seem to have just come to this realization and thought I might burst if I didn't call to let you know. You must be in agony after how I left things yesterday. I'm so sorry about that. Especially for slapping you."

"No, Rachel! You have nothing to be sorry for. I totally deserved it. I went about everything the wrong way. It's just that you make me feel so crazy like all the time and you had that look in your eye like you were about to eat me alive or something and I just couldn't resist kissing you. And I'm so sorry I lied about my name. I... I was just scared."

"I understand perfectly, Quinn. And I completely understand your reservations about revealing yourself to me. But I believe I've told you many a times that I could never hate you. And I still stand by it."

Quinn's vision blurred. Her heart felt like it was bursting. "Rach, I..."

"So..." Rachel's voice dropped an octave, "What're you wearing?"

Quinn couldn't help but laugh, "I can't wait to see you tomorrow."

---

A/N: I hope you guys enjoyed this. It's complete as is, though some ideas for a part 3 did cross my mind. But I really don't think it would be anytime soon. Till next time.