It was unusually quiet when Quinn woke up. She looked around the room and found it empty with the exception of her and Santana. It took her a minute to realize she was using Santana as a pillow.
She reluctantly sat up, banging her head on Santana's book in the process. "Hey," Santana said closing the book and setting it aside.
Quinn smoothed her hair down. "How long have I been asleep?"
Santana glanced at the clock. "About an hour," she replied.
"Where is everyone?" Quinn asked, looking around the room again.
"Puck wanted to scare you awake so Jake and Finn took him to the game room to play pool. Rachel finished her homework and joined them. You were on my lap so I was kind of stuck here," Santana explained.
"Sorry," Quinn said embarrassed. "You could have woken me."
Santana shrugged. "You were just too cute to wake up," Santana teased. Quinn blushed. "So I thought we could go sit by the pool and get our homework done. Maybe take a break and swim."
"You don't have to do that," Quinn said. She felt guilty for keeping Santana away from her friends.
"It's no problem. I have homework too and I might as well get it done. Besides you're going to need help with that lab report and I still have mine to do," Santana said.
Quinn groaned. "I forgot about that."
"It's not too bad," Santana assured her. "Once you get the hang of it, it won't take more than a half hour. Go get changed. I'll start getting stuff together."
Quinn made her way to the bathroom to get changed while Santana grabbed her set of books. She grabbed towels, sunscreen, sunglasses and their pile of homework. She wasn't exactly sure what Quinn needed so she grabbed it all.
When Quinn got out of the bathroom Santana went in to change. Quinn grabbed a pair of sunglasses, the same ones from yesterday, from the bed and stuck them on top of her head.
With Santana out of sight Quinn decided to be nosy and look around her room. Hanging above Santana's desk was a bulletin board full of pictures of Santana and her family. Quinn laughed at how dorky Santana and the others were. Looking at the pictures made her wish she had a family like Santana's, a family that actually cared about her.
She walked away from the pictures and found on old Polaroid camera sitting on top of Santana's dresser. She grabbed the camera.
"You can take that outside if you want," Santana said coming out of the bathroom.
Quinn tucked the camera with her things and they headed to the pool.
Books were dumped on the table outside. Quinn dug through them and grabbed her copy of The Scarlet Letter, the quiz, her chem book to write on, the camera and a pen. She put the sunglasses on and walked over to the spa. "You coming?"
Santana grabbed her things and followed Quinn to the spa. She dumped her things next to Quinn's and climbed inside. She sighed at the feel of the hot water. She reached over and turned the bubbles on.
"I love your house," Quinn moaned, leaning back and closing her eyes. The hot water felt wonderful on her sore muscles.
Santana laughed. "My house is pretty awesome. Should we get that quiz over with?"
Quinn sighed. She would be perfectly content sitting in the spa with Santana and doing nothing else. Unfortunately she didn't have that luxury. "Yeah, let's do it."
They twisted around so they could write. "Name of the book," Santana read. "What a dumbass question." She skipped through the pointless questions. "Alright, what is chapter one about?" Santana frowned. "You haven't read the chapter yet, maybe we should wait."
"No need. I've already read the book," Quinn admitted.
Santana shook her head. "Why am I not surprised? Okay then, what was chapter one about?" she repeated.
"It's more a foundation building chapter," Quinn answered scribbling her answer onto the paper. "Not much happens. It's really kind of boring compared to the rest of the book."
Santana snickered. "Are you going to write that down?"
"Maybe," Quinn replied.
Santana moved beside Quinn. "Chicken," she said glancing at Quinn's paper.
Quinn rolled her eyes but added the comment. "Better?"
"Much," Santana said happily.
The quiz was short and took no more than ten minutes for them to finish. It was set aside until one of them was ready to get up and put it away. Neither girl moved to grab their next assignment.
Quinn picked up the camera. "Does it work?" she asked.
"Yeah," Santana replied.
Quinn turned to Santana. "Smile," she ordered.
"What?" Santana questioned, not prepared for the command.
"Smile," Quinn said again.
Santana smiled and Quinn snapped the photo. The Polaroid came out of the camera and Quinn grabbed it. She shook the picture, waiting for the image to appear.
Quinn stared at the photo. "I think I'll keep this," Quinn said tucking it into her book.
Santana snatched the camera from Quinn. "Smile," Santana instructed. Quinn looked up. "Payback Q. Now smile for me."
Quinn did as she was told and Santana took the picture. Quinn reached for it. "Nope, mine. I'm keeping it."
Santana stared at the photo for half a second before climbing out of the spa. She grabbed their English work and took it back to the table. She then grabbed everything off the table so they didn't have to get out of the spa again.
Quinn flipped through the work while Santana got back into the water. "I think I'm going to finish up this assignment," Quinn said showing Santana the assignment she started earlier. "Then I can do the assignment due Monday and be done with math for the weekend."
"Need some help?" Santana asked sorting through her own work. She decided on her lab report so she could show it to Quinn.
"Not yet."
Santana watched Quinn work. Her body was twisted around so she could write. Her forehead was crinkled in concentration and she was biting the end of her pencil. Santana smiled slightly. It was kind of cute. "Quinn," Santana said dropping her pen.
Quinn turned her attention away from her math homework. "Yeah?"
"Your mom… she's not…" Santana couldn't stop the words from coming out, "you know, abusive, is she?" The thought bothered her since she saw Quinn walking home from school.
Quinn was surprised at the question. "No she's never hit me," she replied.
Santana wasn't convinced. She knew very little about Judy Fabray and what she know didn't put Judy in the best light. "Quinn, there is more than just physical abuse. Just because she doesn't hit you doesn't mean she doesn't abuse you."
"My mom," Quinn began. "She's… having a kid was never part of her plan. The only reason she had me was to look like the perfect family woman. But her career has, and always will be, the most important thing to her."
"That's not fair to you," Santana pointed out.
Quinn shrugged. "Life isn't fair San," Quinn reminded her.
"Yeah, but still, you're her daughter. She should at least try to give a damn." Santana didn't get it and she didn't think she ever would understand a parent not caring about their kid.
"Maybe it's better this way," Quinn suggested. "Better I know she doesn't care than to get my hopes up."
Quinn went back to her work. "Were you being honestly when you said you never really dated or kissed a guy?" Santana asked.
Quinn dropped her pen. She couldn't understand Santana's sudden interest in her life. "Yes. Did you think I was lying?"
"No not lying but maybe exaggerating," Santana said honestly.
Quinn shook her head. "No exaggeration. I mean I have gone on dates but…" she trailed off.
"But?" Santana prompted.
"I don't like the idea of dating for the sake of being with someone," Quinn continued. "I know it's crazy but I want some type of connection you know?"
"It's not crazy Quinn," Santana assured her. "I feel the same."
"So you know all about my pathetic love life. What about you?" Quinn asked curious.
"I've only been with one person," Santana admitted. "It didn't end well."
"What happened?" Quinn asked. "Sorry. I shouldn't be so nosy."
"It's okay. It's just not something I like to talk or think about actually," Santana replied.
Quinn frowned. "Person," she repeated. "When talking about my relationships you would say guy but when you talk about yourself you say person." Quinn looked at Santana. "Santana, are you gay?"
"Does it bother you if I am?" Santana asked. She enjoyed being around Quinn and hoped this wouldn't end their friendship.
"Not at all," Quinn answered. "It's not my place to judge love."
"Thanks Quinn," Santana said relieved she didn't lose Quinn.
"If you ever need to talk I'm here," Quinn offered.
"Maybe eventually," Santana said. Santana shifted so she was facing Quinn. "Give me your hand."
Quinn stared at her. "Okay." Quinn lifted her hand for Santana. Santana started studying the lines on Quinn's palm. "Are you a palm reader?"
Santana shrugged. "Possibly," she grinned. "See this." She tapped a line on Quinn's hand. "This line means… well I don't know what it means, maybe fortune or fame. But this one…" she traced the line across Quinn's palm, "I foresee great passion in your future."
Quinn blushed and pulled her hand away.
They went back to their homework for a couple minutes. "So is there a girl you're interested in?" Quinn asked.
Quinn was focused on her current problem and didn't notice Santana looking at her. "No there's no one." They drifted into comfortable silence. The bubbles had shut off at some point and Santana moved to turn them back on. Quinn sighed in relief when she finished the math work. Santana looked up. "All done?"
"Yes, thank God," Quinn said dropping her pen. "I don't know about you but I need a break and to get out of the hot water before I start sweating."
Santana laughed and they got out of the water. There things were dumped on the table again and they walked over to the deep end of the pool. They got in and sat on the steps.
"What are you thinking about Quinn?" Santana asked curious.
"My mom," Quinn said honestly. "I was so angry when she told me we were moving. Now I'm happy she goes off chasing high profile cases."
"What do you mean?" Santana questioned.
"You haven't noticed?" Santana looked confused. "No, I guess you wouldn't. My mom only takes high profile cases or cases she knows she can win. Her conviction rate is 88%, 5% above the national average. She's not even that good a prosecutor. She just knows which cases to pick."
Santana mentally grinned at the new information. She couldn't wait to tell her father. "So why does she do it?" Santana asked genuinely curious.
"Her dream is to be a Federal Prosecutor," Quinn answered. "I think she believes that if she can catch this guy that will give her the boost she needs to get the job."
"What case is she working on?" Santana asked. She wondered if Quinn knew her dad was Judy Fabray's target.
"I don't know," Quinn lied. How do you tell her friend that your mother is investigating her father? She didn't know how to tell Santana that. "A part of me hopes she fails." Santana stared at Quinn. Quinn glanced toward the house. "I'm sorry for keeping you from your friends."
"Don't worry about it. Sometimes it's nice to get away from them. Besides this was my idea," Santana said.
"Really?" Quinn asked surprised.
"Yeah," Santana confirmed. "You needed help and I wanted to get to know you without Puck's lewd comments."
"How long have you all been friends?" Quinn asked curious.
"All our lives," Santana answered. "My father grew up with Hiram and Finn's dad."
"I haven't seen Finn's dad around," Quinn realized.
"He died when Finn was nine," Santana explained.
"Oh, I'm so sorry," Quinn said.
"Thanks. Finn doesn't like to talk about it," Santana warned her.
"I understand." Quinn got the message not to bring it up again.
"So my lab report is almost done so you can look through it and get an idea what to do with your own." Santana informed her.
"That's great," Quinn exclaimed. "Do you not work with your lab partner?"
"My lab partner is Jones, so no," Santana replied. "She doesn't like me anymore than I like her. We came to an unspoken agreement in class. We'll get along long enough to do the lab together but never do lab reports together."
"What about Rachel?" Quinn asked.
"She prefers to work alone because she's a bit of a perfectionist and Evans isn't," Santana replied. "Puck and Finn are lab partners though and they work together."
"Puck doesn't seem focused on school," Quinn noted.
Santana laughed. "He does wait until the last minute most of the time but the not caring part is all an act. He doesn't want to disappoint our families." Santana looked at Quinn. "It's all a mask Quinn. People only see what we want them to see."
Maribel walked into the backyard with a tray filled with snacks and two glasses of soda. "Hello girls." "Hard at work I see," she teased.
"Just taking a break Mami," Santana said.
"Sorry Maribel, we'll get right back to work," Quinn promised. She tried to get up but Santana grabbed her hand.
"She's kidding Quinn," Santana told her.
Maribel sat the tray beside the two girls. "Where are the others?" she asked.
"Game room playing pool," Santana replied.
"Oh dear. I better go check on them," Maribel said. She patted Quinn and Santana's cheeks and disappeared into the house.
"Is them playing pool a bad thing?" Quinn asked.
"Not really," Santana shrugged. "But they love to gamble and sometimes it gets violent. One time Puck broke a window by shooting a pool ball through it."
That didn't surprise Quinn. She reached over for a carrot stick. "Your mom, she seems to…" Quinn trailed off, unsure how to voice her thought.
"Go a little overboard?" Santana offered, gesturing to the tray of pepperoni, cheese and crackers, plus a fruit salad and carrots and celery with ranch dip. There were two glasses of soda but Quinn wasn't sure which was which. Santana grabbed the glass closest to her and took a sip. She handed it to Quinn. "It's Dr. Pepper." She sipped the other one. "That's better. She does go a little overboard but she means well. She just loves cooking and taking care of us."
"It must be nice," Quinn commented sipping her own drink.
"It is," Santana admitted. "But it does get frustrating at times. She enjoys doing stuff for us and I don't have the heart to ask her to tone it down."
Quinn smiled slightly. "I think it's sweet."
"So, do you want to get some more work done and head inside or stay out here longer?" Santana asked.
If Quinn was being honest she would say she would rather spend her time in the pool with Santana but she knew it would be rude to ignore the rest of the group. "We can finish up here," Quinn said finally.
They spent another hour on their work before heading back upstairs. They changed into their clothes and headed to the game room. Finn and Puck were playing pool while Rachel and Jake were doing Just Dance on the Wii.
Puck looked up from the table. "There you two are. Did you ladies have fun?" Puck asked wagging his eyebrows at them.
Santana rolled her eyes. "Loads of fun," she replied. "She got me so wet."
Puck's jaw dropped and Quinn choked on her saliva. "In the pool," Quinn squeaked. "We were in the pool."
Santana laughed. "You guys are too easy."
"Come on Puckerman. Make your move or forfeit," Finn said pulling Puck's attention away from the two girls.
"Quinn come dance," Jake shouted. Quinn walked over to them. Rachel glared at the game and walked away. "Rachel is a terrible loser. Come play against me."
"I've never played this before," Quinn admitted.
Jake shrugged. "It's easy, you hold the Wii remote and copy the moves. I'll show you." Jake picked a random song and demonstrated the moves for her. "Now let's play. I'll even let you pick the song."
Quinn scrolled through the songs, focusing on the ones that were easy. Quinn caught sight of a song she loved and grinned. "Got it," Quinn said.
Jake's eyes widened. "Pick something else Quinn. Please," he begged.
Quinn smirked at him and shook her head. "My choice Puckerman remember?"
Jake groaned. "Fine." He set up the song.
"Wait," Rachel shouted before Jake could start the song.
"Aw, come on Rach, just let them dance," Santana said, eager to watch Jake dance to whatever song Quinn picked that he didn't want to do.
"No," Rachel said firmly. "Quinn, we have a rule that you have to sing the song. It's good practice for competitions."
Santana opened her mouth to protest but Quinn put her hand on Santana's arm. "I'll do it," Quinn agreed. "It's fine."
Jake hit play and the song began. "I came home, in the middle of the night. My mother says 'what you gonna do with your life?'" Quinn sang.
While Quinn sang and Jake and Quinn danced Santana pulled out her cell phone and started recording them. Puck and Finn had stopped their game to watch them.
The song ended and Quinn leaned against the wall. Singing and dancing at the same time was not as easy as it looked. Rachel, Santana, Finn and Puck clapped for them. "You should do that for glee Jake," Santana teased.
"Jealous I'm a better dancer San?" Jake questioned.
"Bitch please," Santana said with the wave of her hand.
"I'll show you how it's really done," Jake said. "You up for another song Q?"
"Sure," Quinn said pushing away from the wall.
Jake scrolled through the songs until he found the song he wanted, Light Em Up. It was one of his favorites.
At the end of the song Quinn slid to the ground. "No more," she wheezed.
Jake laughed. He pulled a water bottle from the mini fridge and handed it to her. "Not bad Quinn," Rachel praised. "We need to work on your endurance but otherwise you're good."
"I like to run on the weekends and sometimes before school. You're welcome to join me," Puck offered.
"Yeah sure," Quinn agreed though she was a little unsure of spending alone time with him.
"Great. We can start Monday if you don't mind," Puck said.
"Sure."
Puck smiled and went back to his game.
An hour later they were called down for dinner. Hiram, Leroy and Carole weren't there which was a little surprising to Quinn. She figured they spent most nights having dinner at the Lopez household.
"Mami, Papi, you have to see what Jake was doing earlier." Santana pulled out her phone and looked for the video she look when they were upstairs.
"Santana," Jake warned. Santana ignored him and passed the phone to her mother.
Maribel hit play and she and Eduardo watched Jake and Quinn dance to Cyndi Lauper. "Oh my," Maribel said laughing. "You're good Jake. Don't you have to do a song by someone from the opposite sex for glee?"
Jake glared at the wall. "You are so dead Satan."
"Bring it on Puckerman," Santana smirked.
Quinn laughed at the two. "Don't think you're not next on my list Fabray," Jake said. He winked at her to let her know it was a joke. Their sense of humor was messed up at times and Jake didn't want to make Quinn uncomfortable.
Quinn watched Maribel and Eduardo while they eat. It was weird seeing a happy couple. Her own parents were never that affectionate with each other. They didn't even like each other most of the time and tolerated each other the rest of the time.
But here was Santana's parents, sitting close together whispering in each other's ear, smiling, laughing. It was a foreign concept to Quinn. "You know if you keep staring at my parents people are going to think you have a thing for one or both of them," Santana whispered in Quinn's ear.
Quinn turned her attention back to her food. "Sorry. I just… I've never seen a couple so happy together."
Santana glanced at her parents. They were acting like teenagers. She smiled at the sight of them. Most teenagers were embarrassed by their parents, especially when they showed each other affection but Santana didn't care. The love her parents had for each other was something she hoped to have in the future.
"Did you join glee?" Eduardo asked curious.
"I did," Quinn confirmed.
"I hope Rachel didn't bully you into joining," Maribel said staring at Rachel.
"Not me," Rachel defended. She pointed to Santana. "Santana was the one that practically begged her to join."
Santana was suddenly very interested in her food. Maribel rolled her eyes at her daughter. "It's fine. I'm happy Santana convinced me to join," Quinn said honestly.
"Your voice is beautiful Quinn, at least from what I could hear," Maribel said.
"Thank you," Quinn said. "Do you either of you sing?"
"Definitely not," Eduardo laughed.
"Mami sings," Santana said. "She used to sing to us when we were little."
After dinner they went back upstairs to continue their Prison Break marathon. Maribel and Eduardo checked on them several hours later and found them all fast asleep. Maribel nudged Eduardo and pointed to Finn and Rachel. Rachel was using Finn as a pillow. When Maribel looked closer she saw Quinn was once again laying on Santana.
"How long do you think it will take for them to get together?" Eduardo asked.
"Which one?" Maribel asked.
Eduardo looked at his wife. "Finn and Rachel. Who are you talking about?"
"Santana and Quinn," Maribel said like it was obvious.
Eduardo frowned. "Santana and Quinn? They barely know each other. Surely you are…"
Maribel pulled her husband away from Santana's room. "I'm not mistaken Eduardo. I don't know when but I have a feeling they will eventually get together. A mother knows these things. Do you not support this?"
Eduardo sighed. "You know I support Santana, no matter what, but this is Judy Fabray's daughter."
"Quinn is not Judy Eduardo and from what I can tell Quinn and her mother don't get along," Maribel said. She sat on their bed. "I don't know whether or not they will end up together but I do believe there is a possibility and you need to be prepared for that."
Eduardo sat beside his wife. "I will not allow Santana to go through what she did with Dani again. That nearly killed her. I refuse to allow Santana to go through that again."
"Quinn is not Dani," Maribel said firmly.
"I never said she was," Eduardo retorted. "And she may not intentionally hurt Santana but she's Judy's daughter. It's bound to happen."
Maribel shook her head. "I don't believe that. I don't believe Quinn would do anything to hurt Santana or any of us. You don't see the way she looks at all of us. It's almost envious. And she is so obedient that it's scary. I found Quinn and Santana lounging in the pool, taking a break from homework and Quinn felt bad and was going to start working again."
"I don't like this Maribel but I won't stand in the way of our daughter's happiness," Eduardo said after a minute. "If they want to be together then I will support it. But that won't stop me from keeping an eye on Quinn and I will take out Quinn if it becomes necessary."
Maribel nodded. "I figure as much." She leaned against her husband. "Thank you for giving it a chance."
Eduardo kissed his wife. "I can't resist my two favorite girls."
"Good answer," Maribel muttered against his lips.
Sunday went much like Saturday. The major difference was the fact that they had spent the morning finishing up homework so they could spend most of their time playing games and watching Netflix.
Quinn had met another friend of Santana's father, Jesse St. James. He was just as polite as Elliot had been but he seemed a little… she wasn't entirely sure how to word it.
By the end of the day Quinn wasn't ready to go back to school, or go home.
Puck had told her they would go out at 5am and run a mile to ease Quinn into it. If she wanted to run more, they would. That would give Quinn time to shower and get ready before school.
That night everyone slept in their own bedrooms, except Quinn who slept with Santana again. This weekend was the first time Quinn ever shared a bed with someone and she found she liked sleeping beside someone. There was something comfortable about it.
Quinn felt like she had barely fallen asleep before being shaken awake by Puck. "Q, wake up," he whispered. "It's 5." Quinn groaned. "Careful, don't wake San, she hates getting up before her alarm."
Quinn carefully climbed out of the bed. Lucky for her she wasn't laying on Santana so it was easier to get out of bed. Puck pushed some clothes into her hands. "These are Jake's, go change. I'll wait for you downstairs."
Quinn stared at the clothes. The thought of not having running clothes didn't even cross her mind. Quinn went to Santana's bathroom and quickly changed into a pair of basketball shorts and a tank top. The clothes were baggy but not as bad as it could be.
She quietly slipped out of Santana's room and made her way downstairs where Puck was waiting. He handed her a bottle of water and they left the house.
They ran about a mile and a half before Quinn called it quits. She was surprised she could run as much as she did. "Good job Q," Puck praised. They were a block from the Lopez house and decided to walk the rest of the way.
"Thanks," Quinn wheezed, raising her hands over her head. "I'm more in shape than I thought."
"Give it a couple weeks and you will be fine," Puck assured her. "Look Quinn, I want to say sorry."
"Sorry for what?" Quinn asked confused.
"Anything I may have said to make you uncomfortable," Puck clarified. "It's not my intention."
"It's fine Puck. It's actually kind of flattering," Quinn said honestly.
"Alright. Well I'll still try and tone it down but no promises."
Quinn glanced at Puck. "Did Santana talk to you?" she questioned.
"She may have mentioned it," Puck admitted. "She cares about you. We all do. She wanted to make sure my comments didn't push you away."
The others were awake and ready when Puck and Quinn got back to the house. They headed upstairs and showered as quickly as they could. Quinn didn't do anything to her hair other than brush it out.
Maribel had breakfast ready when Puck and Quinn got downstairs. Quinn was a little surprised. She was under the assumption they never ate breakfast at home during the week. Quinn didn't complain. She sat down beside Santana and Rachel and filled her plate. She was too hungry to worry about feeling bad for taking so much food.
After breakfast they grabbed their things and left. They stopped at the Lima Bean on the way to school and the boys went inside to get coffee for everyone.
They made it to school with five minutes to spare and were in no rush to get to their first period.
Classes were the same as the week before other than chemistry class. In the chemistry class they had a lecture instead of a lab.
Quinn turned in her completed assignments much to her teacher's pleasure. They weren't all done but she had a decent start.
Quinn was currently in her fourth period, pre-calculus. It was minutes away from being lunchtime when she felt her phone vibrate. Quinn looked around the room but no one noticed her. She pulled her phone out, careful not to catch her teacher's attention. A quick glance at the caller ID made her frown. It was her mom. She hadn't heard from her mother since she told her she was staying at Santana's on Friday.
Come home after school, the message said.
Quinn sighed. She was looking forward to hanging out at the Lopez house again but it didn't look like she was going to be able to.
The bell rang. Quinn quickly gathered her things and left.
"What's wrong?" Santana asked when Quinn sat down at their lunch table. Jake looked up from his plate of food.
"My mom texted me. She wants me to come home after school," Quinn replied.
"Damn," Santana muttered.
"Damn what?" Rachel asked sitting down across from Quinn. Finn and Puck sat down on either side of Rachel.
"Q has to go home after school," Jake explained.
"Damn," Puck repeated. "Any idea why?"
Quinn shrugged. "My guess is someone is coming over, probably for dinner, and she wants to play the loving mother."
"Your stuff is still at my house," Santana reminded her. "We'll have to stop there first."
"Crap I forgot about that," Quinn said. "Well it won't kill my mother to wait."
"We could always drop it off later," Puck offered.
"That's a good idea," Quinn said. "I may need you to save me anyway."
Santana laughed. "Glad we could be of use."
"So did you pick a song for glee?" Rachel asked Quinn.
Quinn shook her head. "I have a few ideas but I haven't picked a song yet," she admitted.
"We're performing today," Puck said gesturing to himself and Finn. "We picked a song yesterday."
"Only one day's preparation?" Rachel asked horrified at the thought.
Puck rolled his eyes. "It's not Sectionals Rach," he reminded her.
"What are you performing?" Santana asked looking back and forth between the two boys.
"It's a surprise," Puck said with a grin. He snatched a French fry from Santana's plate.
Santana smacked his hand. "No me gusta," Santana said glaring at him.
Rachel groaned. "You two aren't about to do something that will get you in trouble, are you?"
"It's nothing bad," Finn promised her.
"I'll perform tomorrow," Jake decided when it got quiet. "I have my song picked out, just need to practice."
"I still need to pick a song," Santana admitted.
"Actually San I was thinking we could do a duet," Rachel told her.
Santana shrugged. "Sounds good to me. Do you have a song in mind?"
"I do," Rachel confirmed. "I'll show it to you after school." Santana shrugged and went back to her food.
After school Quinn followed Jake to the choir room. Santana and the others were already there when they arrived. Quinn sat down beside Santana. They were just waiting for Schue to show up. "How was class?" Santana asked.
"Not bad," Quinn replied. "Turned in some makeup work and didn't get much new homework. I'll work on some of the other assignments tonight. Is Schuester always late?"
"Pretty much," Rachel said.
Schue finally walked into the classroom. "Happy Monday everyone," he greeted. Quinn rolled her eyes. It was Monday, what was so good about that? "Is anyone ready to perform?" Finn and Puck raised their hands. "Alright, Finn you're first."
They stood up. "Actually Mr. Schue, Puck and I came up with a duet," Finn told him.
"Okay then," Mr. Schue said surprised. "The floor is yours boys."
Finn whispered their choice to the band. The band laughed but played the song.
"Hi, hi! we're your weather girls. Ah-huh. And have we got news for you. You better listen! Get ready, all you lonely girls. And leave those umbrellas at home. Alright!" Finn and Puck sang. Jaw's dropped as they sang and copied the dance moves from the music video.
By the end of the song Rachel, Jake, Quinn and Santana were dying with laughter. Quinn was leaning on Santana for support so she wouldn't fall out of her chair. Jake managed, with some difficulty, to record part of the performance so he could show their parents.
Tina and Mike were trying and failing to keep straight faces. Artie and Sam were snickering at the performance while Mercedes, Kurt and Blaine were just staring at the two like they had lost their minds.
"Okay," Mr. Schue said when the music stopped. "That wasn't bad boys. I'm a little concerned about your choice of song. Don't you think it was just a little insulting to Blaine and Kurt?"
"Mr. Schue, how can that possibly be considered insulting to anyone?" Rachel demanded. "They did the assignment, very well I might add."
"It's not cool to make fun of Blaine and Kurt because they're gay," Mr. Schue said firmly.
"Hold up," Santana said. "You think they're making fun of Anderson and Hummel? It's a damn song and in case you didn't notice Puck has two dads and they are two of the greatest men I've ever known. So why in the hell would they even want to insult gay men?"
"I agree with Santana," Quinn piped up. "Finn and Puck were simply having fun and it's good that they're comfortable enough in their sexualities to do something so… crazy."
Sam wanted to defend Puck and Finn too. Not because he gave a damn about them but because he wanted to impress Quinn, but he couldn't bring himself say anything.
Schuester quickly changed the subject since people jumped to Puck and Finn's defense. "Is anyone else ready to perform?"
Kurt stood up. "I'll be singing Defying Gravity," he said.
Rachel rolled her eyes when his performance was done. It was so predictable. She loved Broadway but even she knew sometimes it was good to mix it up and try something new especially since they wouldn't be singing Broadway songs for competitions.
"Good job Kurt," Mr. Schue praised. "Anyone else ready?" No one raised their hands. "Alright then. Keep working on your songs and I'll see you all Wednesday."
Mike and Sam rushed off to football practice.
"Do you need to go by your locker?" Finn asked Quinn.
"Yes I do," Quinn said.
"Rach and I need to swing by our lockers as well," Puck said. "We'll meet you guys at the car."
The group split up. Rachel and Puck went to their lockers while Santana, Jake and Finn went with Quinn to her locker. "You guys didn't have to come with me," Quinn said.
Jake shrugged. "What kind of gentlemen would we be if we made you carry your books?" Finn nodded in agreement. Quinn looked at Santana. "She doesn't count."
Santana stuck her tongue out at him and grabbed Quinn's backpack from her shoulder. "There, I can be a gentleman… well gentlewoman," she corrected.
Quinn rolled her eyes. Her friends were such dorks. They got to her locker and Quinn dug out her books. Every time she pulled out a book Jake or Finn would take it from her. Quinn didn't bother to protest. They were just as stubborn, if not more so, than she was.
Rachel and Puck were waiting for them when they finally got to Finn's car.
The car ride to Quinn's house was quiet. Finn pulled into the driveway and Quinn sighed. It time for her to come back to reality. Santana got out of the car so Quinn could get out. Quinn hugged Jake and tried her best to hug Finn, Puck and Rachel.
She got out of the car and hugged Santana. Santana wrapped her arms around Quinn and held her close. After close to thirty seconds they pulled away from each other. "Have fun with your mom," Santana said. "If you need anything text me, or any of us. We'll see you tomorrow."
Quinn walked into her house as Finn's car pulled out of the driveway. "Kitchen Quinn," Judy called as soon as the front door shut behind her.
"Hello to you too Mom," Quinn greeted walking into the kitchen.
"Where have you been Quinn? I thought I made it clear you were supposed to come home right after school," Judy said, turning to face Quinn. She crossed her arms over her chest.
"I joined glee club. I came right after the meeting. So why did I have come straight home from school?" Quinn asked.
"A friend of mine from work, Abigail Jones and her daughter Mercedes are coming over and they're staying for dinner," Judy replied.
Quinn groaned. The last thing she wanted to do was spend the evening with Mercedes and her mother.
Quinn went to her room to work on homework until they showed up. She pulled out her phone. Guess who's coming to dinner, Quinn texted Santana.
Who? Santana texted back almost immediately.
Quinn grabbed her books and dumped them on her desk before replying, Jones and her mother. Save me?
Quinn sat her phone aside and began organizing everything. She had just started her quiz for chapter two of The Scarlet Letter when Santana's reply came. Well fuck. I'm sorry Q. I would come for you in a heartbeat but I don't want to make it worse.
If I were to punch her would Hiram defend me? Quinn messaged.
Quinn finished her quiz before Santana messaged her back. He said yes but would prefer you didn't assault an A.D.A.'s daughter.
Quinn laughed. She was joking… mostly, but it was still good to know. Tell him thanks and I'll do my best.
Quinn pushed her math textbook aside. She was lost throughout the entire class. She was going to have to beg Rachel for the answers to the homework.
Quinn decided to work on her chem chapter questions as well as the make-up questions. Do you have Skype? Santana texted.
No, Quinn replied. The doorbell rang but Quinn ignored it. Why?
Rachel said you looked lost during class. We figured we could Skye you so Rach can help, Santana answered.
"Quinn," Judy yelled.
"In a minute," Quinn shouted.
Jones' are here, Quinn quickly typed.
Alright. We're going to make a Skype account for you. I'll text you your log in information. Video message me when you get free time. A second text popped up. If you need help starting the chat let me know. Oh, and Finn and Puck are making you an Xbox account. We just need your email address for both.
QuinnFabray , Quinn texted.
Lame. Quinn could picture Santana rolling her eyes.
What's your email then? Quinn asked.
AuntieSnixx , Santana answered. Do you have a strong attachment to your email address?
No.
"Quinn," Judy yelled again.
"Coming," Quinn called.
Good. I'm making you a new one, Santana responded.
Oh God help us all, Quinn joked. She put her phone in her pocket before heading downstairs.
Judy glared at her when she got to the kitchen. "What took you so long?" Judy demanded.
Quinn eyed Mercedes and her mother. "I was working on homework," Quinn answered.
Judy seemed satisfied with the answer. "Quinn this is Abigail Jones and you know her daughter, Mercedes," Judy introduced.
"Ma'am, Mercedes," Quinn greeted.
"It's nice to meet you Quinn," Abigail said shaking Quinn's hand.
"Nice to meet you too," Quinn said politely.
Quinn noticed the stack of papers on the table. "Can I get you something to drink?" Judy asked Abigail.
"Wine," Abigail requested.
"Coming right up." Judy poured wine for the two of them while Abigail grabbed the papers and followed Judy to the living room.
"Where are your friends?" Mercedes asked when the adults were gone.
"At home making me an Xbox account. Finn and Puck think it's a crime that I don't already have one," Quinn answered.
"Why are you hanging out with them?" Mercedes asked genuinely curious. Mercedes was aware of the fact that Eduardo was being investigated and while she didn't know all the details she knew enough to know he wasn't a good man.
"They're smart and funny and a lot nicer than people give them credit for," Quinn replied. She pulled out two cokes and offered one to Mercedes. "Honestly they're the first people to see me as Quinn and not Quinn Fabray, Judy Fabray's daughter." It wasn't entirely true as they're curiosity regarding Judy was what got their attention. But it didn't take them long to get over that. Mercedes looked thoughtful. She could see why that was annoying even if she had never had that problem before. "Do you want to go to the living room?"
Mercedes nodded and followed Quinn to the living room. Quinn walked past the coffee table where all their notes, court documents and police reports were scattered around. Abigail was working hard to cover the papers but Quinn managed to catch a few words including Jane Doe, 18 year old female and Jesse St. James. Abigail was about to cover them before Quinn could read more.
Quinn wanted to text Santana but thought it would be suspicious so she waited. She recognized the name Jesse St. James. It was a fairly unique name. It didn't seem likely that there was someone else in Lima named Jesse St. James. Quinn was definitely going to need to talk to Santana about this. Jesse was close to her family. If he was in trouble then they needed to know. Hiram definitely needed to know.
"Mom, I have a lot of make-up work to do. Can I be excused?" Quinn asked, silently praying her mother would allow her to leave.
Judy looked at her daughter. She wanted to say no but she also wanted Quinn to do her homework. "Why don't you take Mercedes with you?" she suggested.
Quinn sighed. "Fine. Come on Mercedes."
Quinn didn't check to see if Mercedes was following her. She pulled out her phone. Santana had left her a text. She quickly read it before sending her own text. If I asked you something would you be completely honest?
Yes, Santana answered immediately. What's going on Q?
Is there more than one Jesse St. James in Lima? Quinn asked walking up the stairs.
I'm confused, Santana confessed. But no, not that I know of. Why?
"Bathrooms there," Quinn pointed out just in case Mercedes needed it. She pushed her bedroom door open. My mom and Jones' mom are working on a new case. From what I could tell an unknown 18 year old girl was found dead and Jesse's name was mentioned somewhere, Quinn sent. I don't know if they think he did it but I figured Hiram needs to know.
Santana didn't text back right away and Quinn figured she went to go tell the others. While she waited for Santana to respond Quinn went back to her chem homework. "Do you have homework?" Quinn asked Mercedes.
"Yes," Mercedes replied.
Quinn dropped the rest of her books on her bed. "You can use those if you want. I have paper and a pen if you need it."
Mercedes grabbed the math book and sat on Quinn's bed. "That would be great. Thanks."
Quinn handed over some paper and a pencil. Just as she went back to her work her phone vibrated. Thanks for that Q, Santana said. I told my dad and Hiram. Hiram's going to see what he can find out and my dad will let Jesse know. He didn't kill anyone in case you're wondering.
I didn't think he did, Quinn said honestly.
Is Jones around?
Yeah, she's in my room with me working on homework. I tried to sneak away but my mom made me bring her upstairs, Quinn answered.
Do you mind if I swing by and bring your stuff? Santana asked.
Please do come, Quinn replied.
Alright. On my way.
Quinn sat aside her phone and went back to work.
Mercedes grabbed the math book and shifted her position. The Polaroid photo of Santana feel out of the book. Mercedes bent down to pick it up. "What's this?" Mercedes asked staring at the photo.
Quinn spun around to see what Mercedes was talking about. She noticed the photo in Mercedes' hand. She got up and snatched it away. "It's nothing," Quinn said placing the photo in a desk drawer.
"Really? Cause that looks like a half-naked Santana," Mercedes said. "Why would you have a picture like that of Santana?"
"We were in their pool and I was messing with a camera," Quinn said honestly, in hopes of Mercedes dropping the subject. "It's nothing."
Much to Quinn's relief Mercedes dropped it, at least for the time being.
Five minutes later the doorbell rang. Mercedes looked up from her work. "Who's that?" she asked.
"Santana," Quinn replied standing up and leaving her room. She made sure to take her phone with her in case Mercedes decided to go snooping. It wasn't likely to happen but Quinn felt the need to be extra cautious.
Judy got to the front door before Quinn could make it downstairs. "Can I help you?" Judy asked.
"I'm looking for Quinn," Santana said ignoring the question.
"Who are you?" Judy asked, eying the duffle bag in Santana's hand.
"Santana," Quinn exclaimed.
"Santana," Judy repeated. "The friend you stayed with over the weekend?"
"Yeah Mom," Quinn confirmed. "I left my bag at her house because I didn't realize I would be coming straight home. She was nice enough to bring it for me."
Abigail walked into the entryway. "Santana Lopez," Abigail said surprised. "What are you doing here?"
"Just bringing some things Quinn left at my home," Santana responded.
"Can she stay?" Quinn asked hopeful.
"I don't think that is a good idea," Judy said. Judy was not happy. Out of all the kids in town Quinn just had to go and befriend Eduardo Lopez's daughter. She knew she couldn't forbid Quinn from spending time with Santana. Doing so would only make Quinn rebel. But if she allowed the friendship to continue, and didn't try to fight it, then maybe she could use it to her advantage. "Maybe another time."
Santana was surprised and suspicious but hid it well. "It's fine. My mom expects me home for dinner anyway." Santana turned her attention to Quinn. "I'll see you in the morning Q. You can Rachel whenever if you need her."
"Thanks San. See you tomorrow," Quinn said. She stepped forward and hugged her friend.
Santana grinned at Judy and Abagail before heading back to her car.
When Santana was gone Quinn took her bag upstairs so she could unpack. She sat the bag on her desk since Mercedes was using her bed and unzipped the bag. On top of all of her clothes she found Santana's camera and a note.
You seemed to be really interested in the camera and I thought you would get more use out of this than me. Hope you like it.
San
She picked up the camera and smiled slightly as she twirled it around in her hands.