Hello! Will we discuss my absence? No? Thank you. Hope you all enjoy the update, though. This is also the final chapter. I wrote as much as I could for it.

Again, no beta, so all mistakes are mine.

"Rachel Berry?" Her name was called out by the teacher.

Rachel looked up from her desk. "Present," she replied. The homeroom teacher was taking morning attendance.

"Stacy Carter?" The teacher continued to call out. Rachel's attention drifted before she heard a response.

Rachel isn't stupid. She knew her feelings very well at this point in her life.

Did it take heartbreaks? And many, many mistakes?

Yes, but mistakes are the best way to learn something new. Even if she hates it and would rather learn everything right this very second.

So, she knew that she was developing an itty-bitty crush on Quinn.

Just a little one.

Okay, maybe she was fooling herself, but can't a girl fool herself for a bit? Until she could confirm that Quinn has a liking for her, at the very least.

It's not like it's a surprising thing, Rachel having a crush on Quinn, the punk was a very pretty girl, even with her sporting a hot pink hairstyle and a smokey makeup look. Actually, that might make Quinn even more captivating in Rachel's eyes. The bad girl look was really working in Quinn's favor.

But Rachel can't help but think of a softer side to Quinn. Like when Quinn complimented her. Rachel noticed that Quinn became… sweeter, almost. Instead of that cocky persona that Quinn seemed to have going on, it was something that drew Rachel even more to the many facets of Quinn Fabray. An attractive look, for sure, but Rachel wanted to know more about Quinn.

She sighed as thoughts of Quinn filled her mind. Looking out the window, she wondered what the other girl was doing right now. She certainly wasn't in Rachel's homeroom.

Honestly, she doesn't know any of the other girl's classes. Maybe she can ask her during their lunch meeting.

Rachel wasted no time to get to her locker and dump all her unnecessary school material in there. She needed to go to Quinn as quickly as she could because she had just remembered something as she nearly dodged a random jock on her way there. A sudden realization came over her as her brain registered the jock's varsity jacket.

Finn.

She had completely forgotten about promising to meet up with him during lunch. Today's lunch.

Rachel considered herself as someone who carries on with her commitment and never breaks a promise. It just wasn't in her character.

Until now.

It's just… Quinn. Quinn Fabray was a much better person to talk to than Finn Hudson.

He wasn't here yet, thank Barbra for that, but she knew he'll be here soon. She just needed to avoid him. Hopefully, he'll understand… She'll probably have to make up an excuse.

Rachel quickly took a full binder out, it was filled with potential songs for Quinn and her lunch box. It might be seen as excessive, but Rachel is always thorough when it comes to suggesting a song selection for somebody.

She closed her locker and nodded to herself. She was ready for this. As she turned around, she caught the top of Finn's head as he made his way down the hall. Oh no, he was here. Luckily, he had yet to notice her small stature in the crowded hallway. Most times, Rachel was annoyed at her short height, but this time was not one of them. Rachel was able to squeeze between students and went down the hall that was opposite of where Finn was coming from.

Rachel had safely made it to the auditorium, and she was surprised to see Quinn there as last time she came in a bit late. Her bright pink hair was a dead giveaway. Quinn was sitting on the piano's bench and ghosted her finger over the keys. It was interesting to Rachel. Perhaps Quinn knew how to play? A question Rachel wanted to ask now.

When the door that Rachel closed behind her had finally closed, it let a 'thud' that drew Quinn's attention away from the piano and towards Rachel.

A smile spread across Rachel's face when Quinn turned to face her. "Hello, Quinn. You're punctual."

"Didn't want to be late. I wanted to spend enough time practicing," Quinn teased. She closed the fallboard of the piano and made space for Rachel to sit next to her.

"Good," Rachel replied. She went up the stage and took a seat next to Quinn on the bench. She placed her lunch next to her and her binder on the piano's sheet music holder. "Now, I have several songs in mind. I went by songs that could possibly be songs with your alto and then broke them into genres. I wasn't completely sure what kind of music you would want to sing, even if you hummed to 'Feeling Good' by Nina Simone. There are about seventy pages of song suggestions."

"Jesus Christ."

Rachel was taken aback. "Is… that a problem, Quinn? Was it too much?"

Quinn shook her head, "No, I'm just surprised at the work you put into this in just one night. Did you even sleep?"

"Of course, I did, Quinn. I always get 8 hours of sleep and wake up at 6 am," Rachel huffed.

"Of course… Do I have to go through that? I actually had a song suggestion in mind."

"You do?" Rachel was shocked.

Quinn raised an eyebrow. "How is that surprising?" She asked.

Rachel looked away and fidgeted with her binder. "I assure you it's not because of any assumptions I have of you. Most people that ask for my help just sort of expect me to do almost, if not all, the work. It happened many times in my old school and here as well, to a lesser extent." Rachel gave her attention back to Quinn. She saw a frown on her face. "But that doesn't matter at the moment. Let me hear what you have."

"Oh, I wanted to sing 'You Don't Own Me' by Lesley Gore," Quinn said. The frown on her face lifted slightly.

Rachel gave Quinn a dazzling smile. "Really? That was actually in my list, on page 12."

"I'm glad to have unknowingly picked it then," Quinn gave her a smile.

"Any particular reason you wish to sing it? Most of the songs I sing usually have emotional meaning as to why I sing. It can sometimes even be relaxing to sing your feelings out."

"No reason, I just like the song," Quinn said nonchalantly.

Quinn may have said that, but with that tone of voice, Rachel didn't fully believe her. Rachel also wasn't willing to push the issue.

"Let's get you prepared for Glee then, Quinn."

They spent the following twenty minutes preparing Quinn to sing the song. Quinn had to sing the same song almost 4 times before Rachel was satisfied with the product. Quinn's voice was exhausted when Rachel decided for them to take a break.

"I thought for a second back there you would have worked me to the ground," Quinn said.

Rachel started to pull her food out of her lunch bag as well as two bottles of water. "Nonsense, Quinn. I would never overwork someone's voice. It could have disastrous results. We can't have that."

"Hmm, we sure can't have that," Quinn mimicked. Rachel held out a bottle of water and a sandwich-shaped container for Quinn to take. "I'm not hungry."

"After a vocal workout, food is always a must. Water is most important as singing can leave someone rather parched. Besides, it's lunchtime and we both haven't eaten yet," Rachel said as she continued to hold out the food.

Quinn took the food reluctantly. "Why do you even have two sandwiches? What's in it anyway?"

"I like to eat," Rachel let out. Dear Barbra, she sounded so dumb. It was also a complete lie; she made the sandwich this morning because she thought about possibly giving the sandwich to Quinn like she was doing right now. It seemed like Quinn might have picked up on her lie as she smirked at Rachel. Her face flushed. "It's also a peanut butter and strawberry jelly sandwich. It's vegan, and I'm not the best cook in my family."

Quinn opened the sandwich container that had exactly what Rachel stated. "You're vegan? I like peanut butter and jelly sandwiches by the way."

Rachel smiled as Quinn took a bite out of her meal before she opened her own container. "Yes, it was a decision I made when I was younger after seeing a documentary that depicted the inhumane ways animals were treated in the food industry."

"I've heard of that but never really went to research more about it."

Quinn didn't dismiss her reasoning? If Rachel could smile harder, she would. "It's also a healthy alternative to fast food and whatnot."

"I don't think I could do that. I love eating BLTs and a Turkey Club sandwich too much," Quinn said as she finished her sandwich and took a drink of water. Rachel stared at her neck, and she gulped. Her eyes darted away as Quinn closed the cap on the now-empty bottle of water. "Thanks for the meal, Rachel."

"It's not a problem at all, Quinn."

Quinn hummed in response as her gaze shifted to the piano in front of them. The keys were visible again because Rachel opened it back up to practice on Quinn's scale before she made her sing.

Rachel finished her own sandwich as Quinn's fingers began to ghost over the piano keys, just like she was doing when Rachel entered the auditorium. This time Rachel could tell it seemed like Quinn was mentally playing a song instead of just mindlessly touching the piano.

"Quinn."

Quinn's attention turned back to Rachel. "Yeah?"

"Do you know how to play?"

Quinn shifted on the bench. "The piano? A little bit."

"How much is a little bit?" Rachel was curious.

"Uh, I know a song or two," the skank girl replied.

Rachel put her lunch container away. "Oh? Like what?"

"I know 'I Say a Little Prayer' on piano," Quinn said nervously.

"Would you be amenable to play something for me?" Rachel asked. "You don't have to, though."

Quinn took a deep breath. "Yeah, I can, but I haven't actually played the piano in over three years, so I might be rusty."

"That's completely fine, Quinn."

"Okay." Quinn took another deep breath as began to play 'I Say a Little Prayer' on piano. It was a bit slower than the usual pace of the song, probably because Quinn was getting used to playing the piano again, but she sounded nice to Rachel's trained ears.

"Say a little prayer for you," Quinn sang the part of the backup singers.

Rachel took this as her cue to sing the main singer's part. She followed the pace Quinn set, "The moment I wake up, before I put on my makeup…"

Quinn gave her a smile as she continued to play. They slowly started to sleep up as Quinn got comfortable playing until they were in the same tempo as Aretha Franklin's song.

The song eventually ended, and Rachel felt happy at being able to sing with Quinn instead of just listening to her. Although, that was also something she liked.

So much for a small crush, Rachel Berry. You have yourself a full-on crush, she told herself.

Quinn had a soft smile on her face when she closed the piano and looked over to Rachel. "So, what did you think?"

"For someone who hasn't played in years, you did very well once you got into the rhythm of it," Rachel responded.

"I'm glad. I was very nervous," Quinn stated. "I'm also glad you picked up that I wanted you to sing."

"Of course, I would, Quinn. I'm a professional that can do improv."

"Of course." Quinn laughed. "Now, I have a question."

"Well, it's only fair that since I asked, you get to as well. What is it?"

"Yesterday, you called me a stalker, and yet you knew my last name without me telling you. My reason was valid but I'm curious as to know why you knew my name," Quinn continued.

Rachel stared wide-eyed. "There wasn't a question in there."

"Oh, my apologies. How did you come about it? Is that a good enough way to phrase it?" Quinn teased.

"I won't have imagined that you of all people would tease me on the way I decide to speak," Rachel said with a pout.

Quinn raised her eyebrow. "Really? I thought with my look you totally would have expected that."

"Do you want me to assume more about you, Quinn?" Rachel teased back.

Quinn stared at her for a second before letting out a snort. "You know, Rachel? I like you."

Rachel felt her face flush. "You do?" It took every acting bone in her body to not stutter.

"Yeah, it's very easy to talk to you."

"It's… also easy to speak with you."

"I don't know why but I find myself telling you things I wouldn't have told anyone else. Yet, we've only known each other for a few days at most." Quinn stared at her again. This time, Rachel could tell she was thinking deeply about something. It went on for a few seconds before Quinn's face showed a sign of resolve. "Rachel." Rachel's attention was fully on Quinn. When did she get so close? "Do you think that... maybe we could…" Quinn lingered.

Rachel could smell the perfume that Quinn had on from their close proximity. It was lavender and it was intoxicating. "We could, what?"

Quinn didn't say anything as she closed the very small distance between their lips. Rachel was frozen as Quinn moved her lips against her own, but before Quinn could back out disappointed, Rachel moved her own lips against Quinn's. It was a back and forth as they continued to kiss. Rachel felt her stomach flutter as Quinn continued and then placed a hand on her waist. Rachel responded by wrapping her arms around Quinn's neck to bring her in closer. Quinn's other hand moved to Rachel's curly hair and the kiss intensified.

Rachel bit back a moan in fear that Quinn would stop before Quinn slipped her tongue into her mouth. She moaned at the feeling of Quinn's tongue exploring her mouth and returned the favor.

Eventually, they ran out of breath and Quinn moved slightly away. Rachel could feel Quinn's puffs of breath on her lips as she was sure Quinn could feel her own.

It was silent as they regained their breath.

Quinn broke the silence once her breathing was regulated. "Could we date? I mean… I'm sorry, my brain is a bit all over the place." She stared right into Rachel's eyes. Rachel couldn't look away. "Do you want to go on a date with me?"

"Yes," Rachel replied.

Quinn gave her a bright smile before diving back for a kiss.

After a very eventful lunch, Quinn and Rachel ended up using the rest of the time to make out even if Rachel's initial plan was for Quinn to practice some more. The plan change was well worth it in Rachel's eyes. She smiled as her fingers traced her lips, feeling the lingering feeling of Quinn's soft and talented mouth on hers.

A win in Rachel's bedazzled diary.

When she went to her next class, she sat next to Kurt. He had an intense stare directed at her. He probably wanted to know what ended up happening with Quinn. Should she tell him? It was a private moment, even if it was in the middle of the auditorium.

The teacher had yet to arrive, and students were still filtering into the classroom.

Kurt faced her and the intense stare became a smirk. "So, Rachel."

"Good afternoon, Kurt," Rachel replied.

"Is there something you wanna tell me?"

Rachel knew he wanted the gossip. It'll be safer for her to exclude anything that can be used against her in the rumor mill. Rachel hummed. "Something could have possibly happened to me, yes."

"And does it have to do with one skank Quinn?"

Rachel frowns at the term 'skank.' "Yes, but she's a lot more than that."

"What did you guys end up doing during your meetup?"

"We practiced her song. She's going to be singing in Glee Club today."

Kurt looked surprised. "Really? I thought she would have backed out by now."

"She said she would do it." After the make-out session, Quinn promised she would. "She even had a song already picked out when we practiced."

"Ooh, what song?"

"Now that, Kurt Hummel, I will leave as a surprise for Glee after school."

Kurt looked like he wanted to argue to get more information out of her, but that teacher finally decided to gracefully enter the classroom and began class.

As the final bell rang, Rachel was delighted that school was done for the day and that the Glee Club was about to start. She's been a ball of energy since departing from Quinn during lunch. She hasn't seen the girl since then, but she was more than excited to see her again in Glee.

She made her way to her locker to put the books to her last class before shutting her locker closed. It was quick and clean, she wanted to get to the choir room.

When she turned around, she bumped into someone taller than her. She thought it was Quinn at first before the smell of sweaty boy invaded her nostrils. Definitely not Quinn.

She backed away a bit and looked up to see Finn with an annoyed face on. "Hello, Finn."

He frowned at her. "Hey, Rachel. Where were you during lunch?"

"What do you mean?"

"I was waitin' for you at your locker, and you never showed. You promised me yesterday that we would rehearse during lunch," Finn explained.

Oh, that… Well, Rachel Berry is nothing but an actress. "Sorry, Finn. I had a call from my fathers' I had to take during lunch. I would have told you, but it was all very sudden," she said with remorse in her voice. Nailed it, Rachel. An Oscar-worthy performance. That EGOT will be hers one day at this rate.

Finn's face lost its frown and became more neutral. "Oh, that's cool. I hope nothing bad happened."

"It has been resolved, yes."

"Cool. Uh, so do you think I could walk you to Glee then?" Finn asked with a hopeful expression.

Rachel frowned. "I'm not sure, Finn…"

"It's not that far, so it shouldn't be a big deal, right?"

"Actually, it would be a big deal," a harsh voice cut in.

Rachel's head whipped right to see Quinn walking down the hall towards them. Finn straightened up at the sight of Quinn coming close to them while Quinn had a look of disgust directed at Finn. Quinn's face only softened when she glanced at Rachel.

"Hi, Rachel." Quinn focused on Finn and her harsh tone returned, "Finn."

"Quinn," Finn replied, his voice trying to imitate what Quinn was doing but he wasn't great at it. Quinn had a way scarier, and hot, aura to her in Rachel's honest opinion.

"Good afternoon, Quinn."

"Wait, you know her?" Finn asked.

"Of course, she does, you idiot. We spent our lunch together." Quinn smirked.

"But you said that you had a call with your dad," Finn recited. He had a constipated look on his face.

Rachel winced. "That… maybe have been a fib."

"A bib?" Finn asked, confused.

Quinn let out an aggravated sigh. "She lied to you, dumbass."

Finn's face quickly turned from mild confusion to full-on anger. "Shut up, Quinn!"

"Don't tell me to shut up!"

"You know, I don't have to deal with this!" Finn screamed back. He slammed his fist on a locker across the hall from Rachel's locker, and he let out a grunt of pain. "Screw the both of you!" He stomped away, and Rachel can only assume he made his way towards the choir room.

Rachel turned to look at Quinn whose nostrils were flaring up in anger. She calmed down and had the decency to look ashamed when she looked back at Rachel.

"We need to talk," Rachel stated.

It was silent when they entered Quinn's car.

Quinn sighed. "You're probably wondering what happened there, huh?"

"A little bit Quinn. I didn't think I would find myself between the two of you like that," Rachel said. It got too intense way too quick for her liking.

"You're new, so you don't know this, but Finn and I actually dated back in middle school." Rachel has a shocked look on her face. Quinn chuckled before she continued. "Yeah, he was… it wasn't a good time. He made stuff worse in my life and ended up dumping me when my parents got divorced. Other stuff also happened with him when we started high school, but I would honestly rather forget it all."

Rachel gasped. "I can't believe he would do that. I'm sorry that happened to you, Quinn."

"Yeah, it didn't help what I was going through, but maybe it was for the better."

"Is that why you're a skank now?"

"One of yeah. I also realized I was a lesbian after Finn broke up with me."

"Well, that I know," Rachel teased.

"Oh? How so, Ms. Berry?" Quinn countered.

Two can play at this game, thought Rachel. "Well, you don't just make out with girls like how we did during lunch."

"And I'm about to do it again."

Quinn leaned in and Rachel followed.

They ended up spending the hour of Glee making out in Quinn's car. Time well spent in Rachel's honest opinion.

Rachel didn't know how the rest of her senior year would go; she just knew it'll be a great time with Quinn by her side.