Beauty Queen

Summary: Rachel finds Quinn trying to throw up and gives her some much needed advice.

Warnings: Possible bulimia triggers, some mature themes

Rating: T

Rachel walked into the girl's bathroom, wincing at the artistic incompetence of the pornographic sketch of her that adorned the wall. She could have done such a better job of that drawing. That wasn't the point. She shouldn't have to walk into the bathroom at school and give critique to an anonymous graffiti artist that likes picturing her naked for fun in comprising positions.

The retching sound from one of the stalls made Rachel frown and creep towards the sound.

"Hello?" She called, hoping it was somebody who didn't hate her. "Are you okay in there?"

"Go away, Berry!" Quinn Fabray yelled back, before gagging and vomiting straight into the toilet bowl.

"Quinn? Are you sick? Shall I get the nurse?" Rachel was confused. She wasn't sick in Glee Club. She wasn't pregnant anymore so it couldn't be that.

"I'm not sick, I'm-." Quinn cut off, obviously not wanting to say anything further. Rachel understood instantly. Her stomach lurched as she thought of it.

"Quinn. Please come out. I think we need to talk."

"I have nothing to say to you, Hobbit."

Rachel winced. Quinn's particular way of insulting her always hurt.

"I'm not leaving until you come out and talk to me." Rachel was adamant. Quinn didn't like her, but Rachel still considered them friends. She did not want her friend feeling such things about herself.

"Fine." Quinn replied shortly and opened the stall door. "What?"

Rachel crossed her arms. She was only trying to help. "You're making yourself throw up. You just ate lunch. I'm not stupid."

"You don't know anything about this, Rachel." Quinn said coldly.

"Don't I? You think I haven't tried this over and over again? I don't look like you, Quinn. I'm not a stereotypically pretty girl. I don't have your body and I'm not athletic."

Quinn thought for a moment. While that was true, she thought that Rachel was quite pretty, well when she wasn't dressing like a blind librarian. With the correct adjustments to her wardrobe, Rachel had the potential to be beautiful. Quinn was rather surprised that Kurt had not got onto that particular task yet. She would have to make it his mission. He loved makeovers and Rachel could use one. And that was Quinn being nice.

"Rachel, you're pretty. You are. I know that I make fun of your hands and your feet and your size and nose, but you are very pretty. You just don't acknowledge it. A lot of beauty comes from confidence. I mean, I've been told since the age of fourteen how angelic I am, so the confidence comes with those reassurances. I mean, it's people like me and Santana that drag you down so that you don't recognise your own beauty. Truthfully, you're not a very kind person most of the time, but at least you look good on the outside."

"Coming from you? The most flawless girl I've ever seen? Please."

"I-I wasn't always this way." Quinn choked. Was she really about to unveil Lucy to Rachel?

"You weren't always beautiful?"

Quinn hesitated for just a second before nodding and continuing. "Rachel, there's something I'm about to tell you which needs to go with you to the grave. I've done pretty well in concealing it from everyone at this school and I'd really like it to stay that way."

Rachel frowned, not seeing the bigger picture, but nodding anyway. "I won't tell anyone, I swear."

Quinn sighed. No going back down, Fabray. "Before I came here, I went to another school. I transferred my high school choice to here because I was being teased and bullied every single day of my life."

"Why would anyone?—." Rachel interjected, but Quinn held up a hand.

"Just hear me out, Rachel," Quinn sighed softly. "There was a girl I once knew. Her name was Lucy. She was really chubby and wore thick old-woman spectacles. She had an insane amount of acne on her face and really bad teeth. Nobody wanted to be her friend. Nobody wanted to be spotted talking to the hideous girl who couldn't see without her glasses. So she spent her time reading and studying.

"It all came to an end when there was a Sadie Hawkins Dance and she could ask any guy to the dance. She asked eight guys in total. Not the popular kids, they would've laughed and thrown their food at her, so she went for the guys that weren't complete and utter douchebags. The ones that were even remotely nice to her during free periods. Every single one of them cringed and said things like "Ew no way" and "Wait, you're serious?" so she gave up hope. She stayed home from the dance and cried all night long." Rachel felt tears spilling from her eyes and she couldn't control it. Quinn's story was just emotional to hear. It all hit a little too close to home for Rachel. It wasn't quite that bad, but it was on the same lines.

"Over summer, she became determined to become a version of herself that could stand to look in the mirror. So she found a good acne cleanser, had some work done, and joined sports. She found a love for cheer—softball and lost the weight. She had laser eye surgery and a nose job. She made her hair blonder and used the best makeup products. That's how she went from that mountain of a girl to somebody who can look at a reflection of herself without wanting to curl up and die of shame and embarrassment.

"I know for a fact that she's not particularly proud of the things she did to change herself, but she's quite happy with the result. What you just caught me doing is something I'm deeply ashamed of, but I just can't help it. Every time I fail to resist carbs, I can just feel the repercussions and the life of that ugly girl coming to haunt me. Like one day, I'll just become her and there'll be no going back from that."

Rachel suddenly put it all together. "You're Lucy."

"What?"

"The girl from your story. Lucy. It's you. That's why you feel scared. That's why you feel like you have to be in perfect shape. Because you don't want to go back to the way you used to be."

"You caught me," Quinn laughed lifelessly. "My birth name was Lucy Quinn Fabray. When I moved, I dropped the Lucy and made my first name 'Quinn' so that nobody would know me. Crazy, right?

"Rachel, Lucy is the real version of me. I'm completely fake. My nose isn't real, my whole image is based on self-hatred and change. I can't quite picture Lucy Fabray on the Cheerios though, can you? Miss Sylvester would've laughed and thrown her down the stairs just for showing her face. I'm a different person now. Do I regret those changes? No. Would I go back? No. Do I like who I am? No. I hate that I hated myself so much that I became this shell of reality."

"Quinn, don't think of yourself like that. By losing the weight, you became healthier. By fixing your eyesight, you enabled a new world of possibilities for yourself without glasses. By clearing up your skin, you made it healthier. Don't think of the change as a bad thing. Look for the positives. By doing all of this, you became a role model to so many girls who no doubt look up to you. I look up to you. I'm not kidding when I say that you're the most beautiful girl I've ever seen. We may not get along, but you're beautiful on the inside too, Quinn."

Quinn was crying now. She buried her head into Rachel's neck and sobbed her heart out.

"Can you promise you'll try to stop the vomiting?"

"I can try." Quinn whispered fragilely.

"Can you help me get rid of the pornographic picture on the wall?"

"And ruin my own art? Of course."

"Can we be friends?"

"Don't push it."

"Sorry."

"Rachel? I'm kidding. Sure, we can try and be friends. I'm guessing I'm going to have to suck up to you in order to buy your silence."

"Not one bit. But I would like a duet. In Glee Club. Today. An appropriate mashup maybe." S

Quinn nodded. "I think I'd like that."

So Rachel and Quinn sat in Glee Club and sang their admittedly genius mashup of West Side Story's 'I Feel Pretty' and TLC's 'Unpretty'. As they sang, they both thought of walking in each other's shoes for a change. Quinn had already walked in Rachel's and figured that it was about time the Jewish girl got what she so desperately craved. To be popular. She knew Rachel would hate it, but it would be a valuable lesson for her. Quinn laughed and shook her head when Rachel hugged her after the performance. Santana gave Quinn a strange look but the blonde girl ignored her.

One battle at a time.

Author's Note: This particular one was inspired by Beauty Queen by Foxes from her debut studio album, Glorious. It's a beautiful song and Foxes is amazing!