Hello Readers! Here's the next awaited chapter. As you can see, it's part one. I didn't want to even try to attempt putting everything in this chapter. There's SO MUCH drama and revelations that need to happen for Rachel/Shelby and Quinn/Frannie—and all 4 together! But I hope you enjoy the beginning of the big reveal!
Love from,
DARecruit
Chapter 17: Repercussions, Part One
Jack walked back into the house after putting the burgers on the grill and was taken aback by the total chaos going on around him. Lexi was talking in angry bursts punctuated by loud tears, no doubt from the near-perfect, bright red handprint emblazoned on her cheek. Sarah was doing her best to comfort the distraught girl while Diane was yelling to be heard over the pair. John was doing his best to calm everyone, and poor Quinn and Frannie were off to the side, just trying to keep out of everyone's way. There was no sign of Shelby or Rachel.
Just then, the front door opened and Shelby stormed into the living room. "I'm going to kill her!" he heard his youngest sister say, stabbing at her phone and then bringing the device to her ear. Her face darkened as she lowered it again and began furiously typing on the screen.
"Shelby? Rachel? What's going on? Someone needs to start explaining, now!" Diane's voice called from behind Jack. He turned in time to see his mother stalking towards him. She sidestepped him without a second glance, her gaze zeroing in on Shelby. "Where's Rachel?"
"Of course I'm mad!" Shelby said out loud; it was clear to Jack that his sister hadn't realized she had an audience. He watched as she shook her head and then took a deep breath before typing something more.
Thinking quickly, Jack reached a hand out and stopped his mother mid-step. She opened her mouth to protest but he shook his head. Shelby had brought her phone to her ear again and this time, sounded like she was actually talking to Rachel. "Let her be," he said, easily turning his mother around.
"I need to help, Jack. Rachel's run off and we don't know where she is. We need to find her," Diane argued, craning her head to stare back at Shelby. Jack couldn't help but follow suit. It was then that Shelby noticed them and moved into the hall where she was blocked from view.
"She can't have gone far. And Shelby looks like she has it handled. If she needs our help, she'll let us know. C'mon, Ma," Jack's was the voice of reason.
Directing his mother over to Quinn and Frannie, Jack's next stop was his father. "Hey Dad, can you keep an eye on the burgers for me?" That done, he moved to his wife and daughter.
"Hey, bug, what happened?" he asked, wrapping an arm around the girl's shoulders.
"Rachel happened!" came his child's angry reply. "She was going off on Quinn for no reason—Quinn's just trying to be her friend but I heard Shelby say Rachel's been acting bitchy to her all week and she's probably jealous or something. Rachel doesn't have friends at school and no wonder, if this is how she acts! So I called her out on it and she hit me!"
Jack blinked several times in quick succession, all the while shaking his head slowly, trying to process his daughter's rushed explanation. His wife seemed to catch the drift much more quickly as he watched her eyes narrow and become stern.
"Language, Lexi—and that was a private conversation between your aunt and I," Sarah scolded. "You know better than to eavesdrop on someone's conversation!"
"How am I the one in trouble? Rachel hit me!" Lexi argued back.
"Yes, and her mother will correct her for that. As your mother, I'm more concerned about you and your actions," Sarah said in a steely voice.
"That's not fair! I wasn't eavesdropping, I just overheard while I was taking stuff out to Dad. Not my fault you two were talking where someone could hear everything!" came Lexi's snippy retort.
"Hey, watch your tone," Jack warned. "What you heard wasn't meant for your ears and you used it against Rachel—that's what your mom is getting at. And you've had trouble in this department before, young lady, so I'd knock off the 'tude if I were you." He leveled her with a look and a pointed finger—his signature 'I mean business' move.
Lexi huffed and crossed her arms over her chest, looking away from the matching angry frowns on her parents' faces. She was the victim here, face still stinging where Rachel had slapped her, and they wanted to get on her about some accidental information gathering. And how was repeating those things back to Rachel "using it against her"? It was the truth!
Jack shook his head and met his wife's eyes. One simple look was all it took to convey a multitude of thoughts—Sarah was his rock and she would handle the situation with Lexi, keep Diane occupied if needed, so Jack could find Shelby like he wanted and offer her his big brother services, whatever that may be. Jack gave his wife a loving smile, leveled his daughter with one last warning glare, and then left the kitchen in search of his sister.
"Well, I think we both know you've more than earned a spanking—but it's not the end of the world—" Jack heard Shelby say into her phone as he came up behind her. He made sure to make some noise so as not to scare her. Shelby turned, her expression guarded (no doubt assuming it was their mother instead) and relaxed when their eyes met.
"Baby, I've told you before, I will not let you get away with deliberate wrong-doing—and you've done a lot of that today," she continued. Jack was able to hear Rachel crying on the other end and his heart went out to both mother and child. He could tell that Shelby was frustrated and sad—no parent liked the discipline part of their job—and Rachel was clearly distraught.
"Tell me where you are, Rach. Let's get you home and—"
A thought occurred to him and he placed his hand on his sister's shoulder. She looked up and then held a finger up to wait. "The park, okay. I'll be right—"
"Let me go get her, Shelbs," Jack spoke then. He had a gut feeling that Rachel needed someone on the outside to talk to before coming home, and it wouldn't hurt Shelby to have some time to collect her thoughts.
"Honey, Uncle Jack is going to come get you, okay? You wait there for him, he'll be less than five minutes," Shelby changed course, understanding her brother's need to help. It was the big brother in him and Shelby couldn't deny the calming presence he had on her—Rachel could benefit from that same energy in this current moment.
Jack let out a sigh of relief, his hand moving to his sister's back to rub up and down as she ended the call with Rachel. He could feel the moment the tension left Shelby's body.
"Thanks, Jacky," Shelby said tiredly. "I'm so sorry about—" She waved her hand around vaguely. "—this. I don't know what's gotten into her. She's been acting up all week but I never thought she'd…I promise I'll have her apologize to Lexi. I'll take care of her behavior too. I can't believe her! I've been on her recently for her rude behavior—though I don't think those times were truly on purpose—but this—THIS—is deliberate."
Shelby was speaking nearly as fast and furious as his daughter had only moments before—the complexity and speed at which a woman's brain functioned would never fail to astound Jack. He knew Shelby was speaking more to herself than at him, but he felt the need to interrupt her regardless. "Easy there, killer," he said. "Lexi isn't completely blameless in all of this. She let slip that she heard some of what you and Sarah were talking about before. I'm sure that had something to do with Rachel's outburst. And anyway, Shel, kids fight. I've found it's easier to let them figure it out themselves—nine times out of ten it blows over as quickly as it started."
Shelby scoffed. "Did you get a look at your kid's face yet?"
Jack smirked. "Yeah. Yeah, I did," he said. "Rachel's got an arm on her—that's not even her dominant hand."
"Jack!" Shelby gasped.
The older Corcoran sibling couldn't help but laugh; he thought he saw the corners of Shelby's mouth quirk up. "C'mon, Shel. I'm just saying, maybe it's not all as bad as it looks right now. Let everyone calm down and we can find out the truth and go from there."
"Rachel's still in a lot of trouble," Shelby said, her mood darkening. Rachel had a lot to account for, no matter what else happened between the girls. And whatever had pushed things over the edge, the fight had been brewing within her daughter for more than a week now. Whether it stemmed from Rachel's growing jealousy or perhaps even another subconscious test of the rules and boundaries, Shelby knew she'd have to prove to her daughter that she was here, there was permanence to her presence, and that there would always be consistency and security wherever and whenever she was involved.
"Okay," Jack appeased, his tone gentle. "Okay. Just…Just make sure you're calm when Rachel gets home, so you can talk it out before anything else."
It was Shelby's turn to sigh. She nodded to her brother's words. "I know. I will be. I'm just…frustrated. I feel like we've been going in circles these last two weeks. She's struggling with some jealousy and I've been doing my best to help with that, but her behavior recently…I won't let her get away with how she's been acting."
"I understand that, Shel. And you shouldn't let her get away with being rude or disrespectful. I'm just saying, you can't be angry when she gets home and the two of you sit down to talk. It doesn't help you and it won't help her, she'll only get defensive and argue back."
"I know, Jacky. I'll calm down. I promise," Shelby agreed. "Thank you for going to get her."
"Any time, baby sister. I'll make sure she's calm before bringing her home too. And maybe I can get her to open up to me a bit. I'll do whatever I can to help, you know that."
Shelby smiled and rose up on her tip-toes to place a kiss on her brother's cheek. "I know," she repeated. "Love you."
"Love you too," Jack said, offering a brief one-armed side hug before heading to the door. "I'll be back soon."
Shelby watched him leave and then took a deep breath; she held it for a moment, then blew it out through her mouth, letting her cheeks puff up with the release. As she turned towards the kitchen where the remainder of her guests were, her eyes immediately fell on the pair of sisters standing nervously next to her mother; Shelby could feel the tension coming off them in waves. She made a beeline for them, wanting to save them any further unease.
"Hey," she sighed in greeting, offering a warm smile to both blondes. Frannie returned it with an expression of unparalleled relief, while Quinn avoided eye contact; the girl stood rigid, on guard. Shelby automatically reached a hand out to lay on a tense shoulder, squeezing in sympathy and comfort.
Quinn startled at the touch, cautiously meeting Shelby's eyes. The look she received in return, one of earnestness and compassion, was too much. Her own filled with tears that she furiously tried to blink away.
"Oh, honey," Shelby cooed, pulling the blonde teenager into her arms for a hug. She found herself rubbing the girl's back while resting her chin atop the girl's head. "Don't cry. I'm so sorry things have turned out this way. Rachel had no right to speak to you the way she did today—or for the way she's been treating you the last few days. I promise I'm going to talk with her and set things straight, and she will personally apologize to you later today as well."
Shelby's words, coupled with the way she was lovingly holding her, cradling her almost, was more than Quinn could bear. Quinn didn't deserve any of this, not the hug or the nice words—certainly not the way Shelby was looking at her. It was a mother's love, something that Quinn had missed these last two years and yearned for. Her guilt was growing at an alarming rate, becoming overwhelming. She could feel it vibrating inside her chest, trying to escape. She wasn't ready. She couldn't…Shelby would never look at her this way again if she knew…And yet, there was no doubt in Quinn's mind that the gig was up. Shelby was going to find out today. Surely Rachel would tell her, after this…
Quinn frowned. If Rachel was going to tell, why didn't she do it as soon as the adults opened the door to the basement, when they heard all the yelling? Why did she run? Quinn didn't understand any of it—if the situation had been reversed, she would have ratted Rachel out at the first opportunity she got. Rachel continued to keep quiet—why? And how long would she keep quiet? Selfishly, yet unable to help herself, Quinn thought that if Rachel would stay quiet just long enough, maybe she could figure out a way to make things right—or at least a way to stay undetected and out of trouble. She squeezed her eyes shut, her thoughts racing, and buried her head in Shelby's chest. She was going to soak up every bit of this moment—who knew how long it would last.
"Just what has Rachel been doing to this poor girl, Shelby?" Diane demanded, and Shelby groaned into Quinn's hair. How had she forgotten that her mother was right there?
Shelby pulled back from Quinn, cupping the girl's cheek for the briefest of moments as she gave her an encouraging smile, then turned towards her mother. "Mom—"
"Where is Rachel, by the way?" was Diane's next question.
"Jack left to go pick her up," Shelby said without thinking.
"She ran off?" Diane's voice rose in volume and Shelby internally cringed. She knew where this was going and she wanted nothing more than to stop it in its tracks.
"Mom, now's not the ti—"
"How exactly did you handle this situation before when she ran off in New York? You never would tell me. Seems to me you didn't discipline her at all and now she's got it in her head that she can go and do whatever she pleases," Diane ranted.
"Mom! It's none of your business how I handle anything when it comes to my daughter and we are not—"
"I have a right to be concerned about my granddaughter! You are so new to this, Shelby. You need to listen to me when I say you have to be that girl's mother, not her friend. There's time for friendship later. Right now what she needs is boundaries and discipline—"
"I'm giving her that!" Shelby yelled.
Diane raised an eyebrow, shifting her weight to one side as she moved to cross her arms, and leveled Shelby with a look that had the younger woman seething. She was a grown-ass woman, completely capable of raising her child and making the right choices for herself and her daughter; she didn't need her mother butting in with her self-righteousness.
"That girl is in dire need of a damn good spanking…and I'm not so sure you aren't either, Shelby Elizabeth," Diane's tone had turned to ice, Shelby's insides with it.
Shelby could feel her face heating up as her heart began to race. Her palms felt sweaty and her stomach was doing backflips. Suddenly, she was a sixteen-year-old girl again staring back at her mother in consternation at the very thought of facing a spanking. Wait a minute…Shelby shook her head to clear it, and reality settled back around her—and with it, her indignation.
Before Shelby could open her mouth to tell her mother what she was in dire need of, Sarah all but materialized beside her, squeezing her shoulder as she moved in between the two Corcoran women.
"Mom, I need your help," Sarah began, "Lauren just texted asking for your potato salad recipe and of course, I never remember it off the top of my head and—" She steered Diane away from Shelby and the Fabray sisters as she spoke, turning back to give Shelby a thumbs up behind the matriarch's back. Shelby mouthed a 'thank you' in return and Sarah winked.
With a long sigh, Shelby returned her attention to the two blondes beside her. "I am so sorry for all of that," she tilted her head in the direction her mother had gone.
While Frannie offered a somewhat uncomfortable but supportive smile, Quinn stared back with wide, unbelieving eyes. What the hell just happened? It was like information overload. And it definitely didn't help her guilt any. Was Rachel going to be spanked for this? Her own parents were believers in it for very serious misbehavior (lying, disrespect…bullying), but Shelby wasn't the sort to…was she?
Quinn's mouth went dry as she considered all of the new information. Rachel hasn't revealed their shared secret, even though she had the perfect opportunity to before. Instead, she ran off, something she's apparently done before and will be in trouble over now—though how much was still unknown. The girl's grandmother made it clear what she thought Rachel's punishment should be. Shelby neither confirmed nor denied, only saying that she does provide Rachel with the necessary boundaries and discipline.
But that didn't have to mean spanking…did it? Quinn considered the beautiful woman before her. She was radiant, graceful, cool. Surely Shelby—two-time-Tony Award-winning Shelby Corcoran—wouldn't be the kind of mom who spanked. That wasn't…that was for regular, non-famous moms. Not—not Shelby-type moms.
On the other hand, Quinn wasn't blind. She had seen the looks Shelby had given Rachel in the last week, those warning looks that she remembered from her own mom. Those were the looks just before shit hit the fan…or hand hit her bottom. So maybe Shelby was the type. And if she was, that meant Rachel was going to face that punishment because of Quinn.
To say Quinn was conflicted was an understatement. She didn't want Rachel to get into trouble when she got home, but she also didn't want to get in trouble. More than that, she didn't want Shelby to hate her. That would be unbearable. But once the truth came out, Shelby would hate her—how could she not? That thought tore through Quinn's body and she was once more fighting back tears. It was a losing battle.
Frannie stared at her sister, brow furrowed, trying to figure out just what the hell was going on. Why was Quinn near crying not once but twice now? And all because Rachel apparently told her to fuck off? That didn't make any sense to the older blonde. She knew how Quinn talked and interacted with her friends. She was friends with Santana of all people—that girl had the mouth of a sailor on her, English AND Spanish. She knew Rachel's comment wouldn't—or shouldn't—make Quinn even flinch. So why was it having such an impact on her? Something more was going on here, she was sure of it.
Open Arms * Open Arms * Open Arms
Tucked away in the shadows of the playground's wooden turret, Rachel felt every bit the captured, isolated princess, waiting for either a brave prince to rescue her or else the dragon to come finish her off. The experience wasn't anything like in the stories. Her face was hot and sticky from tears and sweat—no fairy tale princess ever had to deal with things dripping from their nose or into their eyes. No, their tears were always delicate, beautiful—not this ugly, oozing mess that was Rachel's reality.
The rumble from a truck pulling up, followed by the slamming of a car door brought Rachel back to the present. She twisted, getting to her knees, and was able to remain unseen while looking out of the little window of her tower. She saw Jack coming closer and couldn't help but wonder…was he the prince, or the dragon?
Why did he come for her anyway? Shelby had made it clear she was coming to get Rachel when suddenly, she was told her uncle would instead. Why? Was she in trouble with him too? She did slap his kid in the face, after all.
"Rachel? It's Uncle Jack. Where are you, kid?" Jack called out over the playground. He didn't see his niece anywhere.
Rachel ducked down as her uncle closed the distance between them. She didn't think he had spotted her yet and wanted to keep in that way for as long as possible—at least until she could figure out if he was mad or not.
Jack caught movement out of the corner of his eye, from the rightmost tower of the play castle. It was the biggest tower and had a ramp leading up inside. Following his gut, he easily climbed the ramp and ducked his head inside the structure. "Hey, Rach," he said, and the small teen nearly jumped clean out of her skin. "Sorry, didn't mean to scare you, pal," he added, easing himself into the spot next to her. He cracked the seal on the water bottle he had brought with him and handed it to the sweaty teen.
Rachel eyed him cautiously, but took the offered drink with eagerness. Her throat hurt from all her crying and she was burning up from the overwhelming stuffiness inside her hideout. After several long gulps, she lowered the bottle from her lips and then wiped her mouth against the sleeve of her shirt. Her eyes flicked back to her uncle, who was staring at her with a patient calmness she wasn't expecting.
"Aren't you mad?" she asked, her tone more forceful than she had intended, accusing.
"What?" Jack asked, his surprise evident both in his voice and on his face. "Why would I be mad?"
Rachel scrunched up her face in disbelief. "Didn't you see your kid's face?"
Jack let out a bark of a laugh; Rachel's response was nearly identical to that of her mother's not ten minutes ago. It was wild, really. The look his niece gave in response only made him laugh harder.
"Why are you laughing?" Rachel demanded, defensive. She had the gnawing suspicion that she wasn't aware of a joke being made about her. "I slapped Lexi, you know." She wasn't sure why she was offering up that information, if by some miracle her uncle didn't know about it, but his laughter was unsettling. She needed him to be serious.
"I know," Jack nodded, sobering at the teen's expression. He could tell she was upset and on edge and, at the moment, he was only making it worse. "I saw her face. I know you slapped her. I'm not mad at you, Rach."
"Why?" Rachel couldn't stop herself from asking. "Mom's mad at me," she added as if that decided it all.
Jack sighed and ran his hand through his hair. "Yeah, well…" he paused, deciding his words carefully. "Your mom's a lot newer to all of this than I am. I've had seventeen years' practice. Kids fight, and sometimes it gets physical. More often than not, it blows over without any interference on our end."
Rachel frowned as she considered her uncle's words. He was definitely more easy-going about this than her mother was…whether that was genuinely his nature or because, like he said, he had more practice at it was up for debate. She knew without a doubt that there would be interference on her mom's end…and Rachel would feel it on hers—Shelby had already said as much.
"Besides, I know Lexi and she's no angel. She's my daughter, after all," Jack tried for levity and wasn't all that surprised when he fell flat. He opted for a more matter-of-fact approach—it seemed that's what Rachel needed right now. "I know she heard some things she shouldn't have and used that information against you. So I understand your anger and why you lashed out. I'm not mad about that, kiddo."
Wary brown eyes met his blue and he tentatively wrapped his arm around small shoulders; he smiled when Rachel relaxed against him. "That's not to say I want you slapping her or anyone else whenever someone makes you angry, but in today's case, I get it."
"How come you came to pick me up instead of Mom?" Rachel asked. Her mom was all set to come get her—she had asked and pleaded with Rachel over and over to tell her where she was so she could pick her up. Then, seemingly out of nowhere, she changed her mind. Why?
Rachel felt her face drain as a thought occurred to her. "Is…is she too mad to want to see me? Does—oh, God—does she not want me anymore?"
"Rachel, no," Jack said, his heart breaking for this child in his arms. He drew her closer to him, wanting to ground her. He could tell her thoughts were miles away.
"Are you taking me somewhere?"
"Rach—"
"Where am I gonna go? I don't have any more parents to—"
"Rachel!"
Rachel jumped at the stern rumble of her name. Her uncle's voice was so deep, especially in that tone he just used. It sent a chill up her spine. "Y-Yes, sir?" she squeaked.
"Hey, pal," Jack breathed, his voice low, soothing. He hadn't meant to scare the poor girl, he only wanted to get her attention and stop her panicked thoughts. "Easy, sweetheart. Deep breaths, okay?"
Rachel followed her uncle's directive, focusing on her breathing. In. Hold. Out. Repeat. After several repetitions, she felt her heart start to slow, as well as her mind. She opened her eyes that she didn't remember closing, and zeroed in on the water bottle she was still holding. She was suddenly very sad, and very thirsty. She finished the water off in two big gulps.
"Better?" Jack asked as the girl set down the empty bottle. She sighed and nodded.
"My dads used to bring me a glass of water whenever I was sad. It happened so often that eventually I couldn't tell the difference between when I was sad and when I was just thirsty," Rachel said.
If Jack thought his heart couldn't possibly hurt any more for his niece, he was grossly mistaken. Not knowing what to say in that moment, he simply held her.
"Your mom isn't mad at you, pal. I wanted to come get you. I thought you might need someone to talk to who wasn't as, uh…involved. It has nothing to do with your mom not wanting to come herself—of course she wanted to. And she would never send you away, not ever."
"You don't know that. You can't," Rachel all but whispered. Jack heard it though, every word.
"Of course I can! I know for a fact that if even by some strange twist of fate your mom even thought about sending you somewhere, I would come kick her ass. I can do that, you know, big brother and all. Ben and Lauren would too. And if they didn't, Nana and PopPop definitely would! Nana would be on her with her slipper faster than you could blink!"
Rachel's mouth twitched upwards and she let out a small giggle in spite of herself—the image of her mother being chased around the house by her slipper-wielding Nana was too good!
Jack let out a relieved sigh; he got a smile out of the girl—finally! He disentangled himself from the hold he had on his niece and readjusted. It really wasn't comfortable in this small enclosed space. "C'mon, time to get out of here. It's hella hot and I'm getting claustrophobic."
Rachel's stomach dropped at her uncle's pronouncement. The amusing mental image of her mother in the hot seat soured and was immediately replaced with her own very real predicament. She watched her uncle climb out of the tower and suddenly felt claustrophobic herself; her dread was quickly filling every available space in her once-safe hideout.
Not wanting to be alone in that oppressive space, she quickly scurried after the man's retreating back. She accepted his helping hand down the ramp and onto the mulch-covered ground. "Uncle Jack," she started, feeling the familiar prickle of tears in her eyes. She blinked to clear them. "Do you have to…I mean, can we not—" She let out frustrated breath and kicked at a bit of mulch with her foot. "Please don't take me home yet. I—I'm not ready."
"Okay," Jack agreed.
"I can't go home to that madwoman yet, she—" Rachel's protest died on her lips as her brain caught up to her uncle's answer. "Wait—what?" That was so much simpler than she had anticipated—she was sure she was going to have to convince the man. His easy agreement threw her for a loop.
"We don't have to go back right now. I do have to take you back at some point, but we have a bit of time. I'll text your mom and let her know," Jack said, holding his hand out to his niece. She took it with a grateful smile and the two made their way to Jack's truck.
Jack helped Rachel into the front passenger seat, then rounded the car to the driver's side, slipping his phone out of his back pocket as he went.
Got Rachel. She's ok. Be home in 30 mins. Tell Sar to handle mom for you.
His message had only just been marked delivered when he saw the typing bubble for his sister's reply.
She beat you to it. Just her and Lex here now.
"I knew I married an angel." Jack smiled as he put his phone away and opened the driver's side door. "Alright, kid, what do you say to some ice cream?"
"Like, as my last meal?"
Jack chuckled as he turned his key in the ignition and his truck roared to life. "Ice cream makes everything better," he said.
Ten minutes later, the pair were sitting at a booth in the back corner of a little hole-in-the-wall creamery Jack had always loved, enjoying their ice cream cones in companionable silence. Jack stuck with his staple (two scoops of chocolate-chip cookie dough in a waffle cone) while Rachel decided on a chocolate-toffee cappuccino crunch monstrosity, one scoop, waffle cone. Jack enjoyed his coffee as much as the next guy, but he was a purest—coffee should only ever be hot and black.
Jack shook his head to refocus, paying closer attention to his niece's body language. The teen looked calmer, but there was still a dark cloud hovering over her. Jack wished he could get her to open up—his attempts during their drive here had failed spectacularly. He hoped ice cream would soften her up a bit.
"So, what's really going on, Rach?" Jack tried again as he licked his ice cream down to the cone. He took a bite of the side, savoring the delicate flavor and texture of the thin, crunchy vanilla waffle.
Rachel cut her eyes over to her uncle, annoyed with him for bringing that topic up again. She thought they had settled that in the car on the way over—she wasn't talking.
Jack sighed at the look and decided to finish his cone before proceeding. "I just want to help, pal. Please let me," he finally said.
Rachel visibly deflated, regretting the glare she had directed at the man across from her. She knew he was only trying to help but…she couldn't tell him the real story. She used his same stall tactic, focusing on finishing the rest of her ice cream while her mind worked to come up with anything that could end this conversation before it even began. With her last bite, it came to her.
"There's no secret, Uncle Jack," she said. "It's just like you said—Lexi used things she heard against me and I got angry with her and hit her." She forced herself to meet Jack's eyes, hoping she was giving off an honest performance.
Jack's brows knit as he searched those expressive brown eyes staring back at him. The girl looked earnest enough, but something felt off to him. 'There's no secret, Uncle Jack', Rachel had said. Something about that made Jack think that indeed there was. "Yeah, I'm not buying that," he said.
"W-What?" Rachel asked, startled. Was he accusing her of lying? She was, of course, but she didn't think she'd be called out this way. Her mom certainly wouldn't.
"If that was the case, that doesn't explain why you ran off. A little spat with your cousin, even hitting her, isn't that big of a deal," Jack reasoned.
"I don't think my mom would see it that way," Rachel grumbled.
"Yes, she would. Oh, you'd have gotten told off, I'm sure, maybe a swat or two, but things would have gotten cleared up right away—and Lexi would have faced the same for her involvement. But you ran off before anything could be discussed," Jack pointed out. "And that doesn't make any sense to me. If it was just between you and Lexi, where does Quinn come into it? Lexi said she went off on you only after hearing you cussing out Quinn. So, what happened with Quinn?" Brown eyes widened at that and looked down. Jack had hit a nerve, it seemed. "Rachel, what's going on between you and Quinn?" he pushed.
Rachel's heart rate sped up; she could feel it beating hard inside her chest. Jack was much better at this than Shelby was. He had seventeen years' practice, she reminded herself ruefully. "N-Nothing happened. It's not—there's nothing—I just…I just don't like her," she said. She was starting to feel cornered. This was quickly veering in a direction she didn't want it to.
"You cussed her out because you don't like her? Are you sure nothing else happened?" Jack prodded. "I just want to help, Rach. I can't do that if you don't tell me what's going on."
"I'm not—there's nothing, Uncle Jack. I don't—" Rachel let out an angry huff. "I really don't want to talk about this anymore."
Jack took a deep breath and held it a moment before letting it out slowly. Rachel was getting angry and defensive. His gut was telling him he had hit on something, but he didn't want to push and upset the girl more than she already was. He was here to support her. He wouldn't force her to tell him the truth of the matter—that wasn't his place; he was cool Uncle Jack. He didn't feel very cool with his next move, though he knew it was for the best.
"Okay, we don't have to. Let's get you home now, then," he said, gathering their trash and standing up. His heart ached at the look Rachel gave him.
"Wha—Now? But I…I don't want to be in trouble," Rachel muttered forlornly.
Jack sighed. The poor girl was so sad. Somehow it was worse than when his own kids were in similar situations. Maybe because Rachel already seemed so lost and had gone through more than any other Corcoran kid ever had—first and second generation alike. Or maybe it was because Jack knew there was something more going on and hadn't been able to figure it out. He hated being unable to help.
"I think I've stalled for you long enough, pal. I've got to take you home—especially if we're done talking. Your mom is waiting for you," he said gently.
"Yeah, waiting to bust my ass," Rachel grumbled under her breath. Then she turned big, sad eyes on her uncle. "Can't we…couldn't she wait a little longer?"
Rachel hadn't mumbled nearly low enough because Jack had heard every word. He gave the girl a knowing smirk and shook his head. "Take it from me, Rach, dragging your feet only makes it worse for yourself. You still have to face the music in the end and now you've spent all of this time worrying about it when it could have been done and over ages ago."
Jack held his hand out to the girl, waiting for her to take hold. She did reluctantly. "C'mon, kiddo. Your mom should be calm and ready to talk things out when you get home. And it's just Aunt Sarah and Lexi there waiting for me. Everyone else left already."
Rachel let her uncle lead her from the small ice cream shop and back to his truck, her stomach doing cartwheels the entire way. She was dreading the moment she got back home (and everything that came after that), but maybe Jack was right—it wasn't doing her any good sitting around and worrying about it. She'd still have to face her mom and her spanking whenever she did go home. It might as well be now. Get it over with and move on.
Meanwhile, back at the house, Shelby was pacing in the living room, stopping every few passes to look out the window for any sign of her brother's truck. Where were they? Jack had texted twelve minutes ago that they were leaving Nellie's Creamery and heading home. Shelby knew where the little shop was and it shouldn't have taken them this long to get here, even if they caught every red light along the way.
"Shelby, sit down. You're making me dizzy," Sarah said from her spot on the sofa. It was just the two of them in here, as Lexi had been banished to the sunroom half an hour ago for her attitude. Sarah had told her daughter she was grounded for two weeks—one week for using information she overheard against her cousin, and the second for her overall attitude—and Lexi hadn't liked that at all. After fifteen minutes of arguments and whining from her child, with multiple warnings to knock it off, Sarah sent her off—but not before tucking the girl under her arm and delivering six swift swats to her clothed bottom, followed by a promise of more at home if her behavior didn't improve. There had been absolute silence from the other room ever since.
Shelby sighed heavily but was about to do as her sister-in-law asked when she heard a loud rumble from outside. Spinning on her heel, she peered out the window. "Finally!" she exclaimed, hurrying to the front door. Flinging it open, she stepped out onto the porch and watched her brother put his truck in park. He didn't turn the engine off though and Shelby threw her hands up in annoyance as she glared at him.
Rachel's heart was hammering in her throat as her uncle pulled into the driveway behind the silver Camry. Her eyes flicked towards the house and her breath caught at the sight of her mother standing on the front porch. The woman then threw her hands up angrily and glared daggers in Rachel's direction. She's going to kill me, she thought miserably.
Jack set his parking brake before turning to his niece. He was about to tell her 'Let's go' but the look on her face stopped him. He turned in the direction she was staring and sighed. Shelby was glaring at him with arms flung in the air as if to say "what the hell?" He waved her off and returned his attention to the scared little girl besides him.
"Hey, kiddo," he soothed, placing a calming hand on her shoulder. He waited until watery brown eyes focused on him, then said, "I promise you, everything's gonna be okay."
"How can you say that?" Rachel demanded, casting a worried glance back towards her mother. "Y-You said she'd be calm by now. Look at her! She's still mad!"
"She's not," Jack assured. "That look she's giving right now? That's for me." Rachel snapped her head back to glare at him in disbelief. Her eyes narrowed and she opened her mouth to protest, but Jack stopped her. He swung his gaze back to his sister, signaled he needed five minutes, and then focused on his niece.
"Hey, look at me," he said, earning the girl's attention. "I promise you, your mom's annoyed with me right now. I took the long way home and I think she knows that—or maybe doesn't—but she was expecting us a bit sooner, I think. That's on me though, kid. Don't worry about it, okay?"
"She's gonna kill me," Rachel whispered, her eyes burning from welling tears.
"Nah, she won't," said Jack. "Well, maybe your butt, but—" He offered the girl a small smile and a wink, the same way he would any of the other kids, but Rachel didn't react to it the way they would. Her face turned red and she sunk down in her seat in embarrassment. "Hey, pal, it's not the end of the world," he offered as way of encouragement.
Rachel groaned. Her mother had said the exact same thing to her almost an hour ago now and—Well, maybe it wasn't the end of the world, like they said, but it sure as hell felt like it. It wasn't even so much the spanking—though there was that—but everything else that came with it. The disappointment and anger on Shelby's end, the talk before and maybe even after…Rachel's turbulent thoughts and feelings. More than anything, Rachel didn't want to say or do something to reveal her biggest secret. She could handle a sore butt—it wouldn't last forever, after all. She couldn't handle her mother looking at her differently. Hating her. Leaving her.
Sarah had expected to see her husband and niece following Shelby back into the house any minute now, and when they didn't, she got up to investigate. She found Shelby standing on the porch, her body rigid and tense, mumbling angrily to herself and huffing. She wasn't pacing though, so Sarah thought that was an improvement.
"What's going on?" she asked, moving to stand next to the younger woman.
Shelby startled slightly at the sudden noise, but quickly recovered. "Your husband," she said through gritted teeth. "They're just sitting there."
Sarah sighed and placed a hand on Shelby's back. "Breathe," she soothed, rubbing up and down slowly. Shelby was wound tight and Sarah understood why—all of the commotion that had happened since the girls' spat, Rachel running off and not knowing where she went, Lexi's ranting about Rachel being so mean to Quinn. It was a lot to take in and process. Sarah knew that Shelby was worried about her daughter and upset with her recent, recurring behavior. By this point, the incident had been over an hour ago and Rachel had been gone almost as long. Shelby was ready to have her baby back safely in her arms.
Shelby felt herself relaxing under Sarah's gentle stroking. She took several deep breaths before slumping her shoulders. "I don't know what I'm doing, Sarah," she confessed.
Sarah offered a small, sad smile before wrapping her arm around Shelby's shoulder instead and pulling her close. Shelby immediately rested her head on Sarah's shoulder, and Sarah gave her a quick peck on the forehead. She was all-at-once reminded of a teenage Shelby snuggling up to her for comfort whenever she was feeling less-than-confident about herself. It happened in freshmen year when Shelby had her first solo in the choir, and again the following year when she had gotten the lead role in the winter musical. Each time she had come up to Sarah saying something similar about herself or her abilities.
"Yes you do," Sarah murmured encouragingly, as she always had. "And here's a little secret, Shelby—none of us know what we're doing. We all just pretend."
Shelby smiled in spite of herself and then pulled away from the embrace. "Fake it till ya make it, huh?" she smirked.
"Pretty much!" Sarah laughed. Then more serious, "Come on, let's go back inside. They'll be in in a few minutes. Jack knows what he's doing."
"Is Aunt Sarah mad at me?" Rachel asked suddenly. She had seen the blonde woman appear besides her mother and that thought had immediately popped into her head.
"What?" Jack said, bewildered. Where had that question come from? "Of course she isn't."
"But I hit—"
"Hey," Jack cut her off, shaking his head. "Stop that. Neither of us are mad at you for that, okay? Lexi is just as much at fault as you are; it took two of you to fight. Don't worry about that."
"But—" Rachel tried again. Jack cut her off—again.
"Look, Rach," he said, "I think you're working yourself up way too much over all of this. Worrying over it. Let's go inside, me and Aunt Sarah and Lexi will head home, and you and your mom will be able to talk. And really talk to her, pal. She's here to help you."
"What good will that do?" Rachel whined. "It's not gonna change anything. She's still just gonna span—" She cut off with a sharp intake of breath. Her face went blood red and her eyes darted everywhere but to her uncle's face. "P-Punish me," she finally corrected herself.
"Talking helps a lot," Jack said, ignoring the girl's flushed cheeks. "It helps your mom understand where you're coming from and what happened to get you there. It helps you work out what you were thinking and how you're feeling. It's a way for us parents to explain where mistakes happened and help figure out a better way in the future. And finally, it's a way for you both to get everything out in the open and get on the same page."
Rachel huffed and went to cross her arms before she remembered the dumb cast and that she couldn't. She hated her uncle's unwavering calmness and rationality, not to mention the way he seemed to so easily read her. She felt vulnerable and exposed. "I don't want to talk," she mumbled petulantly.
"Sometimes you have to do things you don't want to do," Jack said. He was afraid he was going to have to force Rachel out of this car and into the house in a minute and that wasn't something he wanted to do.
"Talking isn't going to be the big solution you think it is," Rachel shot back. "Mom's mad, and there's nothing I can say that will make her not mad. There's no good explanation for what I did. I can't even say I didn't mean it 'cause I did."
Jack sighed. Rachel was shutting down and becoming defiant. It wasn't unexpected—his own two did the same when they felt cornered—but he was running out of time. He needed to get Rachel in the house. Shelby would have to handle her from here. "Then you'll just have to take the spanking you've got coming and move on. That happens sometimes." He minced no words.
Rachel stared back at him in complete shock and he relented, some. "Look, I'm gonna say something and I want you to think about it when you go in to face your mom," he began, "For me, with my kids, their willingness to talk to me when they mess up and explain themselves to me—or even just to say, 'You know what, I know I was wrong and I'm sorry'—the more I'm willing to let some things slide. They're still punished for their actions but it isn't nearly as bad as what it would be if they didn't meet me halfway."
Rachel turned her uncle's words over in her head, considering them. He may have given her the answer there. She knew she was going to be spanked; she had resigned herself to it. But maybe it didn't need to be as bad as she was expecting. Oh, it would hurt, she would cry and find it hard to sit for the rest of the day, but if she could come out of it without revealing her truth or having her mom think of her as a mistake, it was well worth it.
"Alright," Rachel said, her voice shaking. "I—I'm ready."
Jack let out a breath he didn't know he was holding and broke out into a huge grin. "Atta girl," he praised, clapping Rachel on the back.
"Okay, SERIOUSLY?! What is taking so long?!" Shelby fumed, leaping up from the sofa and tearing out of the house.
Sarah let out a long sigh as she watched her go, then stood to follow her. She walked out in time to hear Shelby holler to her husband, "Jack, what the HELL?!"
"See? I told you she was mad at me, not you," Jack said from inside the car. "C'mon, we've overstayed our stalling," he added, turning his car off.
Rachel bit her lip and cast a cautious glance towards the porch and the two women standing there. Sarah looked calm enough, maybe a little exasperated, but her mom…Well, her mom looked mad. Rachel hoped Jack was right and most of that anger was directed at him. She wouldn't hold her breath.
Next door, Quinn was hunched over the back of the sofa, peeking out of the side window that overlooked her driveway; from this vantage point she could see the driveway and most of the porch of the yellow house. She had been watching near constantly for the better part of the last hour, waiting to see when Rachel showed back up. She needed to know what was going to happen to Rachel, but more importantly, to her.
She kept playing today's events over and over again in her head, trying to work out Rachel's motives. It didn't make any sense. Why had she escalated and complicated things so much when the solution was so simple? Why hadn't she told her cousin the truth about Quinn when Lexi confronted Rachel and leapt to Quinn's defense? For that matter, why hadn't Rachel told Lexi the truth well before then? After all, Lexi mentioned today that Rachel had confided to her about the bullying at school and not having friends. Why was Rachel hiding the fact that Quinn was her bully? What was her goal in keeping that a secret?
Was Rachel waiting for some big dramatic reveal? That would certainly be on brand for her. It seemed awfully risky, if you asked Quinn. And dumb—it was clear to her that Shelby was losing all patience for Rachel's aloofness towards Quinn. And on top of all of that, she had slapped her cousin and then ran off. That bit was the most confusing for Quinn. Not the slap—Lexi had dealt Rachel a low blow with her snide remarks; Quinn saw the hurt cut deep there. But to run afterwards, when telling the truth then would have been the pinnacle of climactic theatricality…It just didn't make any sense.
Quinn sat up straighter at the sound of a truck driving down the street. She held her breath as it pulled in next door. Shelby came barreling out of the house at the same instant, throwing her hands up in the air in anger as she stared down the truck idling in her driveway. Quinn felt her heart race at the sight; she hadn't forgotten Mrs. Corcoran's remarks about how Shelby needed to handle Rachel, nor the way Shelby reacted to it. Oh, Shelby had been outraged, but not in the same way Quinn imagined she'd be if the suggestion had been completely out of left field. Which made Quinn wonder just what Rachel had gotten herself into.
Still, she couldn't really see Shelby spanking Rachel. Surely that was just the fanatical rantings of an old lady angry at her granddaughter's behavior and touting the sort of old-fashioned discipline she would have grown up with (and no doubt raised her own children on too). Nevermind the fact that Quinn herself would still be subjected to that same sort of discipline if her parents were living. Shelby wasn't her parents though. Shelby just wouldn't spank, Quinn was certain of that. Besides, Rachel wouldn't have risked all this trouble if that was to be the outcome of her behavior. No one in their right mind would knowingly put their butt on the line like that. Right?
Quinn watched as Lexi's mom joined Shelby on the porch; the two stood close, Shelby resting her head on Sarah's shoulder and looked…tired. They talked for a few more seconds before both turned and went back inside. Quinn frowned in confusion and turned her attention to the occupants of the blue truck. Rachel and her uncle seemed to be in an intense conversation. It at least looked emotional.
Quinn sighed and shifted; her knees were hurting from supporting her weight for so long and her back was aching from the constant slouching. She desperately wanted to stand and stretch but now wasn't the time. She was afraid she would miss something if she looked away for even a second.
Just as Quinn was beginning to regret not just taking the moment to stretch (she would have totally had time since these Corcorans were taking forever!), events were set in motion almost in tandem. Shelby came rushing back out to the porch, yelling something like, "What the HELL?" before stomping down the steps and towards the still-idling truck. She was halfway there before both doors opened and Rachel's uncle hopped out, holding his hands up as if to pacify Shelby. Shelby completely ignored him and continued on to the passenger side door. Meanwhile, Rachel had been sitting stock-still in her seat, no doubt scared shitless—Quinn knew she would be, the way Shelby was hyper-focused on her.
The watching teen held her breath as Shelby reached in and plucked Rachel from the car; her first thought was that Shelby was going to smack Rachel after all. Instead, the tiny teen was pulled into her mother's arms and held in what looked like a bone-crushing hug. Quinn felt a pang of jealousy hit her hard. She wished she could still be held like that.
After what felt like forever, Shelby pulled back and held Rachel by her shoulders, leaning forward to be more at eye-level with the short teen. It was clear Rachel was getting an earful. Quinn wondered if the tiny teen would spill the beans now. Shelby looked like she meant business.
The older brunette's meaning was made abundantly clear in the next moment as she turned Rachel to her side. Quinn watched in abject horror as Shelby's hand rose in the air, only to land with a definite crack onto Rachel's bottom. She repeated the action three more times. Quinn focused on Rachel's face, which she could see clearly now. The girl grimaced in pain at the first smack, tried to wiggle away before the next, and then cried out with a loud "Ah! OW!" for the last two.
"Shit!" Quinn hissed, her stomach dropping. Shelby was a spanker! She watched as Shelby let go of Rachel, now crying, and pointed to the house. Rachel said something; Shelby shook her head and pointed again, then pushed her daughter forward to get her moving. Rachel looked back once but whatever she saw on her mother's face made her scurry up the porch stairs to her waiting aunt.
Quinn was a goner. She now knew how Shelby was going to handle Rachel. But Rachel would tell her mom the truth now—there was no way she wouldn't, faced with a spanking. And once the truth was out, Shelby would storm over here and bang on the door. Frannie would find out and, well, Quinn wasn't all that worried about Frannie finding out—her sister would be upset but she wasn't going to punish her. No, what Quinn was most upset and afraid of was Shelby hating her and saying she never wanted to see Quinn darken her doorstep ever again. It was enough to bring Quinn to tears.
"Hey Quinnie, I'm finally off the phone with Connie," Frannie said as she rounded the corner into the living room. Her boss had called almost as soon as they got home earlier and wanted to talk about a project Frannie was starting this week. Frannie didn't understand why they needed to talk about that on a Sunday when they could just as easily do it during their usual Monday morning meeting, but Frannie wasn't the boss, sooo…
She frowned as she came into the room fully and noticed her kid sister leaning over the back of the sofa as she peeked out of the window. "What are you doing?" she demanded.
Quinn startled at her sister's voice and had just enough time to wipe the tears from her face before Frannie could see them. Then came Frannie's angry "What are you doing?" and before she could move or even respond, she felt her sister's hand clamp down around her arm and yank her backwards.
In the brief moment it took to grab Quinn and pull her away from the window, Frannie was able to see Shelby and Jack talking in the driveway next door. She shook her head and spun her sister around to face her. "Whatever is going on over there is none of your business and I never want to see you snooping on Shelby or Rachel ever again. Got it?"
"I-I wasn't!" Quinn defended automatically.
Frannie scoffed and shook Quinn slightly. "Don't lie to me!" she said. "What's with you and Rachel anyway? What happened today? Do you know something?"
Quinn's heart was beating so fast she was sure Frannie would be able to hear it. Her mouth was dry as she scrambled for something to say. "Wha—N-Nothing. There's nothing, I don't—"
Frannie's phone rang in her back pocket and she immediately let Quinn go to reach for it. Quinn let out a sigh of relief. "Goddammit, it's Connie again," Frannie grumbled. She focused on Quinn again, meeting her eyes. She saw something there but there wasn't time to deal with it now. "Go to your room," she said, surprising the pair of them with her forcefulness.
"Fran—"
"Now. I don't trust you alone out here. You can't snoop from your room, so go. I'll come get you when I'm off the phone again," said Frannie.
Quinn had been shocked enough seeing Shelby actually spank Rachel, but now with her sister being so—so parental with her, it was enough to send her reeling. She had clearly been wrong about Shelby. Would it turn out to be the same with Frannie? Maybe she was going to be punished once the truth came out after all. But how?
Without another word to her sister, Quinn scooted by her—giving a wide berth in case Frannie got any ideas—and made her way to her room. Shutting the door, she flopped down across her twin bed and let her guilt and worry consume her.
A/N: That's it for this chapter! Let me know what you thought of it! How are you liking the rewrite and the fleshing out of characters? Anything you want to see in future chapters?
Just a heads up, next chapter WILL have spanking. If that's not your thing…I don't know why you're even reading my stories. Go find something else.