Homecoming
She decides driving all night is better than driving all day and arriving at four in the morning, so she fills her body with caffeine and leaves at 10pm so she can arrive back in Lima at 8:30am.
She leaves on Saturday night so she can sleep most of the day on Sunday because Finn wants them at the school on Monday so they can mentor the new kids.
Her mom is already standing in the driveway waving at her when she pulls up, and she tries to update her mom as much as she can before telling her as nicely as she can that she's exhausted and really needs to sleep.
She wakes up again at around 7 and joins her mom for dinner. Her mom updates her on the boards she's been on and how the Johnson's are getting a divorce because Andy is having an affair with his secretary. She refrains herself from rolling her eyes.
"The Evans' also moved back." Her mom tells her casually causing her to choke on her water.
"What? When?" Her mom just shrugs as she chews her chicken.
"Not sure. I'm sure they moved back for Sam, but I only found out when they rejoined our church."
She's a little surprised Kurt didn't tell her, he must have known since Sam had been living in his house and he updates her regarding anything Sam related, as creepy as it sounds, but this is something big.
She debates whether or not she should text Sam and ask him about it, but realizes that will probably be pointless since he doesn't answer any of her messages anyway. If he wants to bring it up to her, he will when he sees her tomorrow.
xxx
She meets the rest of the alumni in the auditorium the next day because Finn wants to discuss the plan and their roles as mentors before the glee club meeting the next day. It's a little bittersweet knowing that Kurt and Rachel won't be returning since neither of them really want to see their exes, but it's great seeing everyone else together again back at home.
"So Mercedes, you'll be paired up with Unique, Santana you'll get Marley, Quinn you'll get Kitty, Mike you'll be with Ryder, and Puck you'll get Jake. I've been working on trying to get them to work together as a team, so we'll go over things like chemistry and togetherness and all that." Finn tells them and she smiles up at him. She always knew Finn would be an amazing teacher, he fits so easily into the role of a leader.
Puck tells them that he's starving so they all head to Breadstix for dinner, cramming themselves into a small booth and listening as everyone updates them on how their lives have been.
"Has anybody heard from Rachel and Kurt?" Santana asks the group, but she knows that she's directing her comment to her because she's the only one who still keeps in close contact with Rachel.
"Rachel e-mailed me. She said she's not really sure what she's doing for the holidays yet." It's not completely the truth, Rachel doesn't know what she's doing for the holidays but she knows she's not coming home, but she doesn't want to crush Finn by telling him that. "I'm sorry about what went down with the two of you." She tells Finn because out of everyone, she knows personally how much Finn loved Rachel.
"No, it's cool. It's for the best." Finn tells them, but she can still see the heartache hiding behind his eyes.
"Well I think it's sweet that you and Rachel keep in touch, Quinn." Mercedes tells her and she smiles back.
"Well, she basically emails me every other week that I still haven't used the train ticket that she gave me." She shares with them, avoiding the fact that Rachel, Kurt, and Santana were just in New Haven for her showcase since she hadn't really extended the invitation to the rest of them. "I'm just, I'm trying to keep straight A's. And I just got tapped to be in only female secret society at Yale. For members: Hillary Clinton, Jennifer Beals." She tells them, trying not to make it sound like she's bragging, she's just really proud of herself.
"Well, I, for one, would love to talk about everybody that is here." Finn tells them.
They share more stories and reminisce over old memories before they realize they should all start heading home, with Finn reminding them to be in the choir room tomorrow so he can start preparing the kids for sectionals.
xxx
She gets an odd sense of deja vu when she parks in the McKinley parking lot the next day and walks the halls to the choir room. Even though she had been here last month to watch the musical, it's a lot weirder walking through the halls while school is still in session.
She's the last one to get there and she quickly stands at the front as the members walk in. She recognizes some of the new kids from the musical, and Unique from Vocal Adrenaline. They all look like mini versions of them.
"All right, do you realize standing before you are legends?" Finn asks them, starting the meeting. She would hardly consider them legends, but it's a nice compliment. The applause and cheers they get is nice, although it's something she's used too, it's a different feeling this time. "Any single one of these guys could be President of the United States one day." Although she nods her head she still looks over to Puck with an odd look, the thought of him being President makes her shiver. "And lucky for us, they've agreed to help us-"
"Hang with the new chumps and see if some of our sheer awesomeness doesn't rub off on you. It will." Puck finishes for Finn.
"When you hear your name, pair up. Puck, you're with your brother." She tries not to look surprised when Finn calls Jake Puck's brother, since when does Puck have a brother? She lived in his house for months and never heard anything about a brother.
"Mike, you're with Ryder. Marley, you're with Santana. Kitty, you're with Quinn." She's taken by surprise when Kitty runs up to Quinn and gives her a hug. "Wade, Mercedes. Now, your mentors are here to help you with whatever you need: singing, dancing-"
"Birth control." She adds in, making a joke.
"You're so funny and self-deprecating! We're so much alike" Kitty tells her and she gives her an odd look.
"The worst mistake that we can make is to underestimate our competition. The Warblers are ruthless this year." Finn tells his students.
"Don't forget about the Rosedale Mennonites. Any show choir that can raise a barn in five minutes deserves mad respect." Artie adds in.
"Marley and Blaine will handle our duet, and for our showstopper we're doing "Gangnam Style." Gangnam Style? Not exactly the showstopper she would have gone with, but she's still going to support Finn.
"Okay, lumps, let me just say out loud what everyone here is thinking: you finally got an okay haircut, you're not doing that annoying half smirk as much as you used to, but you're still an idiot. No one in this room can tackle a massive dance number except for Britt. That includes your little 'Hand-Jive' that to me like a handj-"
Joe interrupts Santana before she can finish that sentence which she is grateful for. "Is there any way Mr. Schue can come back for this?"
She glares at Santana when she makes eye contact with her and the latina raises her hands as if to say what?
"Listen to me, we have never lost sectionals before, and there's no way we're gonna do it under my watch. We can and we will succeed! We need an ambitious number with a strong dance element. That's the Warblers' calling card, and we need to blow them out of the water. And Mike said he could easily show one of our guys how to do the dance number." Finn tells them, trying to lift their spirits.
"I did?" Mike asks and she giggles.
"Crap. I, uh, I kind of forgot to ask you about that. But one of our guys is gonna have to take the lead with Brit. So who's it gonna be?" Finn asks them and Sam stands up.
She bites her bottom lip to keep herself from both blushing and laughing as Sam does some of his strip moves, but she knows that isn't exactly the look Finn is going for.
"Okay, we'll just figure out who the dancer is later, but back to the duet. Our duet needs to show chemistry, a connection between the two of singers, so I was hoping one of our mentors could help give an example of that." She looks around at the five of them trying to figure out which mentor he's talking about, maybe Santana and Brittnay?
"Two years ago Mr. Schue held a duets competition," her head jerks towards Finn. She knows he isn't going to do what she thinks he's going to do, there's no way he would do that to her. "And the winners of the competition won because of their chemistry." She glares at Finn because he knows that is not why they won. "So what do you say Quinn? Sam? Help us out?"
She drops her glare as everyone turns to look at her, but she just stands there frozen in shock. She looks at Sam, but he just looks as surprised as she feels. Eventually he shrugs his shoulders and says "sure." in a monotone voice and gets up to grab a guitar.
They don't have anything prepared, she's barely spoken to him since the summer, but then he starts strumming his guitar and she recognizes the song.
I was distracted
And in traffic
I didn't feel it when the earthquake happened
But it really got me thinkin'
Were you out drinkin'?
Were you in the living room
Chillin' watchin' television?
It's been a year now
Think I've figured out how
How to let you go and let communication die out
It takes her back to two years ago, way before any of this had happened. Where they had sung together for the first time, him wearing blue like he is now, a guitar slung over his shoulder staring into her eyes.
I know, you know, we know
You weren't down for forever and it's fine
I know, you know, we know
We weren't meant for each other and it's fine
She sways along to the music, the both of them spinning in circles around each other and he smiles at her, causing her to grin back.
But if the world was ending?
You'd come over, right?
You'd come over and stay the night
Would you love me for the hell of it?
All our fears would be irrelevant
The sky'd be falling and I'd hold you tight
And there wouldn't be a reason why
We would even have to say goodbye
If the world was ending
You'd come over, right?
The sky'd be falling and I'd hold you tight
And there wouldn't be a reason why
We would even have to say goodbye
If the world was ending
You'd come over, right?
Right?
She waits for her cue, closes her eyes and sings. She thinks the words are a little harsh, she knows he means them. But she was down for forever, time just wasn't on their side.
I tried to imagine
Your reaction
I didn't scare me when the earthquake happened
But it really got me thinkin'
The night we went drinkin'
Stumbled in the house
And didn't make it past the kitchen
Ah, it's been a year now
Think I've figured out how
How to think about you without rippin' my heart out
I know, you know, we know
You weren't down for forever and it's fine
I know, you know, we know
We weren't meant for each other and it's fine
He has a look on his face that she can't read, but it looks familiar. Fondness possibly? It could be since she hasn't seen him look at her with anything but sadness in disappointment in half a year, but she isn't exactly sure.
But if the world was ending?
You'd come over, right?
You'd come over and stay the night
Would you love me for the hell of it?
All our fears would be irrelevant
The sky'd be falling and I'd hold you tight
And there wouldn't be a reason why
We would even have to say goodbye
If the world was ending
You'd come over, right?
The sky'd be falling and I'd hold you tight
And there wouldn't be a reason why
We would even have to say goodbye
If the world was ending
You'd come over, right?
You'd come over, right?
You'd come over, right?
You'd come over, you'd come over, you'd come over, right?
I know, you know, we know
You weren't down for forever and it's fine
I know, you know, we know
We weren't meant for each other and it's fine
It's like they're in a trance, only focused on each other. They haven't sung together in almost a year, but she can't help but admit how much it feels like home.
But if the world was ending?
You'd come over, right?
You'd come over and stay the night
Would you love me for the hell of it?
All our fears would be irrelevant
The sky'd be falling and I'd hold you tight
And there wouldn't be a reason why
We would even have to say goodbye
If the world was ending
You'd come over, right?
The sky'd be falling and I'd hold you tight
And there wouldn't be a reason why
We would even have to say goodbye
If the world was ending
You'd come over, right?
You'd come over, right?
You'd come over, right?
You'd come over, you'd come over, you'd come over, right?
If the world was ending
You'd come over, right?
The applause pulls them out of their little bubble and she blushes as he grins and thanks everyone, putting the guitar down and taking his seat next to Brittnay as she goes to stand next to Santana who is smirking at her. Finn dismisses them all and she rushes out of the room.
xxx
Finn puts her and Santana in charge of the girls tomorrow while he and Mike try to find who their male dance frontrunner is.
She lets Brittnay and Santana feed them about how the three of them are national winning goddesses because not only have they won nationals for the glee club, but they have also won nationals for the cheerios every year they have been on the squad.
"Santana, Brittany and I knew each other so well that I could tell by the slightest quiver in Santana's upper lip which way we were gonna move. Whether our hips are gonna shake or shimmy." Okay maybe that's an exaggeration, but she does know the way Santana dances very well. The three of them just have that kind of chemistry.
"You girls have to be tight up there, okay? The judges love the feminine quality, and the Warblers just don't have it." Santana adds in.
"It's about being individuals. You know, we're all different. But it's also about synchronicity." She tells them and Marley asks them for an example.
They all act like they don't have something prepared when in reality they met up in the auditorium yesterday and choreographed a number because they had a feeling they would be performing something together.
"It's been a few months, but I'm sure the three of us could put together something on the fly."
They perform Come See About Me and she remembers how good it feels just to perform for fun with her girls. Her and Santana decide now is probably a good time to end their meeting and Kitty asks her to walk with her because she wants some advice.
"Now that we're alone can I tell you a secret?" She hasn't figured Kitty out yet. She was head cheerio as a sophomore once, so she knows exactly how conniving and manipulative that can make you, but Kitty also seems super sweet and innocent.
"Of course." She tells Kitty, walking with her down the hall.
"If Finn hadn't paired us together, I would've thrown such a hissy."
"Why is that?" She asks Kitty, a little confused. Santana is just as great as she is, and Mercedes is literally singing backup on an album.
"Because you're Quinn Fabray, and I idolize you. You're Cheerios royalty. Can I show you something?" Kitty asks her while opening her locker.
"Sure." She responds, a little excited to see where this is going.
"Every day I ask myself, 'what would Quinn Fabray do'?" It's a little creepy sure, but it's also a little sweet, having Kitty look up to her.
"It's really nice to know that people still remember me." She tells Kitty.
"Remember you? Oh no, we aspire to be you, me especially." Okay, now she's a little scared. Yes of course she looked up to past cheerios while she was a part of the squad, but she never wanted to be them.
"What's with Marley?" She asks Kitty, wanting to change the subject as soon as possible. "She seemed a little out of it during rehearsal."
"Oh that one? She's sweet as pie, and I've tried to be a good friend to her, but ever since she started dating Jake Puckerman, I fear she's on the wrong path. Word is he's pressuring her to swipe her V-card with him. If that were to happen, well, no one knows the dangers of a good girl mixing with a Puckerman better than you." Kitty tells her and she reminds herself to have a word with Jake later, she will not allow another Puckerman to ruin a good girl.
xxx
He finds Puck and Jake walking down the hallway during the next break between periods.
"Back off Marley." She tells him, poking a finger to his chest and giving him her best bitch face.
"Excuse me?" Jake asks her, clearly confused.
"I got this, little bro. See that furrowed brow, lips pursed, hand on her hip, this is what I like to call 'Loopy Quinn.' It's an irrational state that she apparently only reserves for Puckermans.
She completely ignores all of Puck's 'Loppy Quinn' bullshit because none of it is true. "He's messing with her head." She tells Puck. "He's pressuring her to have sex with him."
"Who told you that?" Jake asks her and she rolls her eyes.
"I don't need somebody to tell me that the biggest womanizer in school is trying to take advantage of the naive girl who just wants to fit in and be loved, especially if the womanizer's last name is Puckerman." These guys do not realize the weight of their womanizing ways, the trauma she's had to deal with because of Puck, the scars. She doesn't want Marley to go through the same thing she did because you never recover.
"You don't know me. I'm a lot of things he's not, and I would never do that to Marley." Jake tells her.
"I don't believe you." She tells him while walking away because this whole conversation is reminding her of her relationship with Puck and every time she thinks of the two of them together she gets nauseous.
"Quinn, I think you're being a little out of line here." Puck tells her which gets her to stop walking and turn around.
"The only way you're going to win sectionals is if Marley's at her best. And if you keep distracting her, she's not going to be." She tells the two Puckerman brothers before walking away and into one of the staff washrooms Figgins has given them temporary access to.
She grips the counter and takes deep breaths, trying to calm herself down. She doesn't hate Puck, she even considers the two of them friends. But she hates what he did to her. Yes, she's a cheater and she knows that, and maybe she would have cheated on Finn, but it wouldn't be by having sex with his disgusting best friend who she despised. Puck was so much worse back then, a much bigger asshole, and sex to her had always been this sacred thing she was planning to save so she could share it with someone she loved.
She didn't drink back then, maybe an odd glass of wine when her parents had offered her one, but when she had gone to parties she did not get flat out drunk the way Santana and Brittnay had, she tries not to think much about that night, but she knows if she thought about it hard enough she would realize what really happened, but the idea of that scares her so she just goes along with the story Puck portrays.
She splashes some cold water on her face and takes one last deep breath before exiting the washroom.
xxx
She arranges with Kitty to meet in the choir room so she can give her a few quick tips before she has to head to the auditorium for the booty camp Finn has Mike running.
"Make eye contact with the judges." She tells Kitty. "And don't be afraid to give them a flirty little smile or maybe even a wink. You're really doing them a favour. You're reminding them of their youth and what might have been."
Kitty tells her that she's going to write that down and that she's the best mentor ever before giving her a hug and heading off to boot camp, she still gets weird vibes from that one.
"That bitch is pure evil." Santana tells her, walking into the choir room after Kitty leaves.
"She's kind of sweet." She tells Santana. Yes Kitty's obsession with her is a little odd, but she's not pure evil.
"Really? Well then why is she giving my girl laxatives? Your pretty little liar gave them to her." She rolls her eyes. Yes Kitty gives her weird vibes but she would never force Marley to take laxatives. "I can sense it thanks to my psychic Mexican third eye."
"Santana that's ridiculous." She tells her because it is. What Santana is insinuating is that Kitty is giving Marley an eating disorder, which is extremely serious.
"Look Q I know you've had blinders on since you're within close proximity with guppy lips, but-" She cuts Santana off annoyed.
"Santana I have a boyfriend, I'm over Sam." It's kind of only half the truth, but she does have a boyfriend.
Santana looks at her like she's full of crap. "A boyfriend? Really?"
"Look, Homecoming weekend, I went to Jodie Foster's clambake, and my psych professor was there. He's 35, smokes a pipe. Well, he's divorcing his wife who hasn't touched him for three years. And I'm dating him." She knows it's so incredibly stupid to be dating one of her professors, but it's the first guy she's been with since Sam, and who better than someone who is so much more mature than those stupid frat boys she goes to school with.
"Wow, Twitter update! Quinn is all excited about another guy defining her life."
She doesn't get why Santana is being such a bitch to her, shouldn't she be supportive of her? She's finally moved on.
"And what are you excited about? Shaking pom-poms in Kentucky?" She asks Santana leaning over the piano, hoping to piss her off as much as she's pissed off Quinn. "I mean, you want everybody to think that you're such a badass, but really you're just a scared little girl with low self-esteem who's too frightened to chase her dreams."
"Did Professor Patches teach you that one in between quickies on his office couch? Does he get so turned on by teen moms who barely visit their kid?" She knows she shouldn't let it bug her, let it be water off a duck's back, but she hates when people bring up Beth, so before she can stop herself she is slapping Santana across the face.
Santana slaps her back and before she can do something she will really regret Brittnay walks in and asks them what they're doing.
She collects herself and says "nothing. Nothing at all." before walking out of the room.
xxx
He's lifting weights when Santana walks in, wearing heels and a tight fitting teal dress. He chuckles at how out of place she looks standing at the entrance of the weightroom. She leans against the wall beside the door and smirks. "Hey trouty."
He nods back in response, "Santana." He doesn't really feel like getting into something with her, especially not during his workout time.
"Talk to Quinnie recently?" She says it calmly while checking out her nails and he drops the weight he's curling in surprise, cursing as it barely misses his foot. Quinn? What could she possibly want him to know about Quinn?
"Look Santana, if the two of you are going at it again I don't really want to get between it." Quinn used to call him every time the two of them had an argument and he never really really got why. He didn't exactly have anything to add to the situation that would benefit either Quinn or Santana. But still, every time Quinn and Santana have a full blown feud or even a small disagreement, Sam Evans is always the first to know.
"She's dating her professor." She catches him by surprise again, causing him to nearly drop his weight again. He sighs and puts his weights down deciding it's probably better if they finish this conversation first so he doesn't end up accidentally injuring himself.
"So? She can date whoever she wants, she's a big girl." He also wants to add, and I still don't understand how this has anything to do with me, but decides against it.
"Well he's fifteen years older than her," he opens his mouth to ask her what the big deal is. Yeah it's a little odd, but it's not like it's illegal, but before he can ask the other shoe drops. "And he's still married."
He'll admit, it doesn't exactly sound like Quinn. But he isn't really best friends with Quinn anymore, so he doesn't know who she is now.
He asks Santana, "what does this have to do with me?" because yeah it kind of bugs him, but he doesn't get how any of it is his business and he knows Quinn will surely think the same thing.
Santana sighs and takes a seat next to him on the bench. "Look Sam, I care about her." He raises his eyebrows and she rolls her eyes. "Shocking, I know." she mumbles sarcastically. "But seriously, she's one of my best friends. And I know she and I have had our differences, but I think her skank phase last year was a wake up call for all of us. She puts on this persona that she has all her shit together, but I'm scared she might be spiralling again. She's fragile, you and I both know this."
He sighs and runs his hands through his hair. "Again, this involves me how?" Yeah, he cares about her too, but he doesn't get how he's supposed to help this situation.
"For some odd reason that I don't understand, she seems to listen to you. So maybe you could talk to her and make her realize she's about two steps from falling off the deep end again. I'm sure you'll figure something out."
She pats his shoulder before getting up and walking out of the room, leaving him sitting there thinking, Oh Quinn, what are we going to do with you?
xxx
She's in the choir room helping Tina with last minute costume decisions when Sam walks in and hops on the piano. Tina must get the hint that Sam wants to talk to her privately because she tells them she needs to go talk to Blaine about something before exiting the room.
"I heard about your professor boyfriend." He tells her, causing her to drop the headband she's holding in her hand in surprise. Of course Santana told him. "I don't know Q, I just think you can do better than that." Her body fills up with rage at the idea of Sam thinking he can have an opinion about what she does with her life, who she chooses to date or not date. She's an adult, she can make her own decisions.
She still sends a text to her professor boyfriend when she gets home that it's over and he should fix his marriage with his wife. She tells herself that it's because she didn't want to be with him anymore, that's the only reason.
xxx
She puts on a floral dress the night of their sectionals and heads to the school early so she can help Finn straighten out any last minute wrinkles.
It feels a little weird, not performing herself, but she's happy she's able to pass the torch on.
"Quinn?" She hears from behind her while she's talking to Mercedes. She turns around to see Tina standing there with her makeup bag in hand. "What do you say? For old times sake?"
She laughs and nods, guiding her to Mr. Schue's office because they don't have a lot of time. She picks the pair of false eyelashes she thinks Tina should use and helps her pick a sheer lip gloss colour. They finish just as Mercedes announces it's time for the show circle.
She feels a sense of pride listening to Finn lead their show circle and walks with the group to the auditorium. She gives Kitty some last minute pointers and before she goes to find their seats with Mercedes and Mike, Sam grabs her wrist.
"Hey, I hope I wasn't overstepping yesterday." He tells her softly.
She shakes her head. "No, it's fine. It was stupid anyway. Good luck out there." She responds back giving him a tight lipped smile.
Her, Mike, and Mercedes walk to where Santana and Puck are already seated. "Is this seat taken?" She asks Santana referring to the empty seat beside her.
"It's all yours." Santana tells her as she takes a seat next to her.
"Santana I'm sorry about yesterday." She tells her honestly, she doesn't want to play the high school games anymore, they were exhausting then and they're even more exhausting now.
"No Q I'm sorry. What I said about Beth was fucked up." Santana tells her, the both of them ignoring how Puck looks over at them due to hearing Beth's name.
"We need to stop doing this." She tells Santana while laughing and Santana joins her while grabbing her hand. They quiet down as the lights go down and some kid named Hunter from the Warblers walk out.
"He looks like the generic asshole in those teen tv dramas." Santana whispers to her and she snorts.
"What the actual fuck." She whispers to Santana as they watch the Warblers do all kinds of flips and tricks on the stage. "How is that even possible?"
Swan Song
She watches as Marley collapses on the stage, and as soon as they realize what is happening they are rushing out of their seats and into the choir room.
"It's that she-devil that's obsessed with you, I just know she had something to do with this." Santana tells her as they run down the hallway to the choir room.
"Santana not now." She tells her best friend as they watch Jake and Ryder carry Marley into the room and put her down on a chair.
Jake tells them that Marley has been skipping lunch and not eating and she just knows Santana is going to say something to Kitty, and even if she's her mentor, she's with Santana on this one.
"Is that because you've been telling her to? You tryna turn her into a damn rexy?" Santana asks Kitty, referring to how Jake shared with them that Marley's been skipping lunch. Kitty looks to her for some help, but she just stands beside Santana with her arms crossed, a disappointed look on her face.
"What? No. Why would I-why would I want that?" Kitty asks Santana, stuttering.
"Because you're a crazy evil bitch." Santana tells her and she places a hand on Santana's arm to indicate that yelling at Kitty won't make anything better.
Sue walks in and tells them that the New Directions have been disqualified and the Warblers have won and she watches Marley's face fall. She walks over to Finn and lays a hand on his shoulder telling him that it isn't his fault.
Everyone else starts freaking out and as Mr. Schue tries to calm them down while the graduates look after Marley, she pulls Finn aside. "This is all my fault I should have read that rulebook or checked in on Marley beforehand or-"
"Hey." She says, cutting him off so he doesn't start spiralling. "How could you have known this was going to happen? You were amazing this week Finn with those kids, I know you'll figure something else out."
He nods and thanks her and she gives him a small as Mr. Schue pulls him aside so the two of them can talk. She sees Sam standing to the side of the room, away from all the chaos so she goes and joins him.
"I'm sorry you guys we're disqualified." She tells him, mirroring him as she leans against the wall.
"When do you leave?" He asks her.
"Tomorrow morning, I should probably get going soon, it's getting pretty late." She tells him while looking at the time on her phone. She has to head back since school starts back up next week. Thanksgiving had been yesterday and she had celebrated with her mom and her new boyfriend so she has nothing else really to stay for.
"It was good seeing you." He tells her and it takes her back to when she saw him last at her showcase.
"Take care of them. You have the potential to be a good leader Sam, and I know it seems like everything is over right now, but I know you'll figure something out. Just don't give up." She gives him a warm smile before saying her goodbyes and heading home.
xxx
They have one last meeting in what's left of the choir room so they can go over what's going to happen now that they've lost sectionals. He asks what everyone else is probably thinking.
"So that's it then? No more glee?"
"Until next September." Mr. Schue tells them, which doesn't mean much to him, he won't be here next September.
"This is so Marley's fault." He hears Tina whisper under her breath and he elbows her lightly while sending her a glare.
"It's not like it's over. The holiday concert is later this week, and we are going to be preparing for it all week long. If this is our swan song, let's make it the best one it can be." Finn tells them, trying to cheer them up.
"You really expect us to go up in front of the whole school and parade our loserdom for all to see?" As much as he dislikes Kitty, especially after what she did to Marley, he can't help but agree.
He wants to help out Finn, and what Quinn told him is replaying over and over in his head, but he just can't help but agree with everyone else, doing anything else for glee club now is pointless.
Finn tells them that they all just need to look forward to their big comeback next year which makes him even more disappointed. "What about those of us who won't have a next year?"
Neither Mr. Schue or Finn say anything for a minute, before Mr. Schue tells them not to worry, everything will figure itself out and then dismisses them.
xxx
He doesn't really know the new kids all that well so he's not worried about any of them, plus he, Tina and Blaine hang out all the time and are in student council together so he's not concerned about them or Artie, who's tutoring him in his classes because of his dyslexia, but it's Brittnay he's going to miss.
The two of them had gotten a lot closer recently, and if he's being honest, he kind of likes her a little. She's super attractive, and her dance moves are hot as hell. So sue him because maybe he just has a thing for Blonde cheerleaders.
So he sends her a text to meet him in Mr. Brown's classroom where they have history together because he kind of wants to tell her.
"You wanted to meet?" She asks him once she gets there, hopping on the desk he's sitting on so she can sit beside him.
"I'm into you Brittnay, and I wanted to tell you because I don't know if I'll see you around as much now that glee clubs over. She gives him a smile and he takes that as a good sign so he continues. "I guess I'm most sad that I never really got the chance to do a real love song with you." He tells her, handing the sheet music he prepared. "That's why I texted you, so you could come here and sing with me."
"Is that why the band's here?" He asks her and he chuckles.
"You figured it all out. So, will you do me the honor of singing a ballad with me?"
He doesn't know why he's so nervous. He ignores the little voice inside his head telling him that it's because he hasn't sung a love song with anyone but Quinn in like a year, but as soon Brittnay jumps off the table and he starts dancing with her, the only thing he can focus on is her.
He leans in to kiss her after the song ends and she moves away, whispering "I can't." And the embarrassment that washes over him in waves feels like an ice bath.
"Is it my lips?" He asks, half joking half serious.
"No. Your lips are so soft and horizontal. I just like you too much to put you in danger."
He's a little confused, and not just by the part where she says his lips are horizontal. He knows Santana really loved Brittnay, and maybe she still might, but he doesn't think that Santana would actually hurt him.
"Santana broke up with you." He tells Brittnay.
"No, it's not just Santana. It's like, all the lesbians of the nation, and I don't know how they found out about Santana and I dating, but once they did, they started sending me, like, tweets and Facebook messages on Lord Tubbington's wall." He refrains himself from telling her that it's probably because she had posted a sex tape of her and Santana and all her social media is public and that's probably how they know her and Santana dated. "I think it means a lot to them to see two super-hot popular girls in love, and I worry if they find out about you and I dating, that they'll turn on you and get really violent and hurt your beautiful face and mouth."
He wants to tell Brittnay that the likelihood of that is very unlikely, but he doesn't. "I'm not scared of them." And then leans in to kiss her again, but once again, she moves away.
"I know, uh, yeah, um thanks for the song, but I just can't." She says to him, leaving him alone in the classroom feeling rejected and humiliated.
xxx
Blaine and Tina tell him that they joined the cheerios during lunch and he looks at them like they're insane. "Really guys? You joined Ms. Sylvester? You know this technically makes you traitors right?"
"You're such a hypocrite Sam. Quinn quit glee club for Sue two years ago and you didn't say anything then." Tina bites at him while giving him a harsh glare.
"What Tina means Sam, is that we just wanted to find something to occupy our time. You're quarterback of the football team so you don't need to worry about that." Blaine tells him, trying to ease Tina's blow.
"The football season is over. We go to playoffs soon and then that's it." He tells them, making the disappointment evident in his voice. He gets up and throws what's left of his lunch in the trash, no longer hungry.
xxx
He meets in the auditorium for glee rehearsal, shocked at how quickly everyone else found other things to join. He feels bad for Finn, he knows he's trying really hard. He tells Finn that he'll be there on Friday night and he will try his hardest to drag Tina and Blaine, even Artie, and Finn gives him a grateful smile.
"You're being unfair." He tells Tina after he follows her out of the auditorium. "He's trying his best." She huffs and crosses her arms.
"He wouldn't have to be trying his best if Marley hadn't face-planted onto the stage." She tells him annoyed.
He's really sick of everyone placing the blame on Marley. He's pretty sure Marley didn't want to faint and cost them sectionals. "You had no idea what she was going through." He scolds Tina angrily.
"What she did was selfish." He can't believe Tina right now, he's not sure what has happened to her, what has caused her to become so bitter, but she better stop soon because he's beginning to grow tired of it.
"What she had, what she was struggling with is something my ex-girlfriend struggled with." He tells Tina, not wanting to admit he has also had his fair share of body issues. "So you better change this 'it's all Marley's fault' narrative soon because we're all getting sick of it. She doesn't deserve that. I can see now why Artie chose Blaine as the New Rachel, at least Rachel would have cared if this happened to one of us."
He leaves Tina standing there frozen in shock in the middle of the hallway and heads to his next class, too upset to deal with her right now.
xxx
Brittnay comes to talk to him while he's switching books at his locker. "Hey."
"Hey back." He says to her and she giggles.
"Are you planning on going to the holiday concert rehearsal on Friday?" She asks him, swinging her books in her arms nervously.
He is, he wants to support Finn as much as he can, but he doesn't tell her that. Instead he asks, "why?"
"Well, I pulled some strings and I got us a reservation for the VIP booth at Breadstix, but the only time they had available was for the same time as the rehearsal. So, do you want to go?" He's a little confused, is this supposed to be a date? If Brittnay wants him to skip out on the rehearsal, it's not going to be for something like a hangout.
"You mean, like, on a date?" He asks her hesitantly, afraid she might get mad at him for thinking of their dinner like that.
"Yeah, well, I was thinking about what Finn said about last chances and how everyone's joining all these clubs because they don't wanna miss out, and the truth is, is that ever since Santana left, you're the only person that makes me smile."
The compliment makes him grin, but the emotional talk is making him a little bit smothered so he makes a joke. "I am pretty non-stop hilarious."
"You make me happy, Sam. And I don't want to waste any more time not smiling at your hilariousness." She tells him, leaning forward to kiss him, which reminds him of the reason why she rejected him in the first place.
"What about the lesbian blogger community?" He asks her.
"They're not gonna like it, but the way I figure it that they know they're my sisters and love is love."
When Brittnay spits out the word love he feels a little nauseous, so he leans down to kiss her because he doesn't want to talk anymore, this conversation is starting to make his head spin.
xxx
He feels awful about missing Finn's rehearsal, especially after he told him he would go. But he tries not to think about it too much when he pulls into Breadstix. But then he starts to think about the fact that he's never been to Breadstix with another girl other than Quinn.
They would have dates here all the time, and he probably would've taken Mercedes here if he hadn't moved first. Brittnay's a great girl, he knows that, and she proves it to him further throughout their date, but he can't stop thinking of Quinn.
He convinces himself it's normal, everyone thinks of their exes sometimes during their new relationships. He thought about Quinn all the time while he was with Santana, and he thought about her a bunch while he was with Mercedes, but eventually those thoughts began to fade, but then she got into her accident and they hit him harder than before. But maybe this is what that was, eventually his thoughts of her are going to fade and he is going to be concentrated on Brittnay one hundred percent of the time. So he kisses Brittnay goodnight and tries not to think about how different her lips feel than Quinn's.
xxx
He gets an email from Finn while he's at Brittnay's locker with her and they read it together. "Okay since we missed the rehearsal yesterday, we have to go tonight."
"Okay." She tells him, placing a peck on his lips. It takes him a few seconds to recover from how taken back he is that she agreed so easily, definitely not something he's used to with previous girlfriends. "Do you want to meet there?" She asks him while they walk to class.
He nods. "I have football practice for the playoffs which end at five so just meet me at the field and we can go to the courtyard together." He tells her, dropping her off at her English class. She nods and tells him she'll see him then.
xxx
When he gets out of the locker rooms after practice, there she is, standing there waiting for him. Brittnay smiles as soon as she sees him, waving at him in case he doesn't see her.
It's freezing out, so he pulls his tuke further down his head. "Let me just put my bag in my car." He tells her and she follows him. She fills him in on how her day has been, similar to how Quinn used to he notes.
"Holy crap it's freezing." He tells her, and she grabs his hand to hold.
"Better?" She asks him. It's different, not like the one he's used to holding, but he nods anyways. "Do you think Finn will be mad that we're late?" She asks him.
He laughs. "No, I think he'll just be grateful that we showed up. They hear the music before they can actually see anyone and he smiles at the familiarness of it all.
He joins in the next few lines of Don't Dream It's Over with Brittnay after Blaine and Tina and takes in how much he missed this feeling. Even if it had just been for a few days, he longs for this sense of togetherness.
"I promise you guys, we can still enjoy glee club without competing." Finn tells them after the song ends.
"I believe in you Finn." He tells him and Finn shoots him a grateful smile, but the only one he can picture is Quinn's.