And here's Chapter 3! Future chapters will be coming out more steadily from now on.
Remember: I do not own Glee or its characters.
"Give 'em back~" Brittany whined as she reached for the pack of gummy bears that Santana held away. "I'm going through wither~"
"You mean withdrawal, but you got high off of these so you should wait for tomorrow," the brunette chided," I'll give you chocolate after practice if you behave." This resulted in more whining before the tall blonde gave up and collapsed onto the grass in defeat. Santana rolled her eyes before crouching down, taking a gummy bear out of the box. "Just one and that's it." She tossed one into the air, allowing her girlfriend to catch it with her teeth.
"Yay~"
"Okay, guys! No more sugar before practice starts!" Quinn called from the middle of the field. She let out a sigh, feeling a twinge of jealousy when the two were being lovey-dovey to one another. She pretended to hurl at this. "Oh my god, I can't believe I just thought that…" she muttered to herself.
"Thought of what?" Santana asked, an eyebrow raised in amusement.
The blonde looked at her friend with a glare. "Nothing, S." She looked at Brittany who was still chewing on the piece. "I seriously wonder how you forgot that whole slushy thing by eating a box of gummy bears. At least it covered up that thing."
The taller blonde just shrugged in response. "I go to Happyville where gummy bears dance around me singing 'Lollipop'." She started to repetitively point to the ground as if to create small dots, signifying the dancing bears.
Santana quickly waved it off. "At least it covered your whole thing with the hobbit. But seriously, Q. What went on in that hallway?"
The head Cheerio felt the heat rise to her cheeks, remembering how close she was to the diva. She clenched her jaw for a moment to calm herself before letting out a deep exhale. She calmly looked at her friend. "Nothing important. She just continued to confuse herself."
The Latina furrowed her eyebrows at the conclusion. "Wait. She hasn't caught on at all? Do we have to go Barbra Streisand on her for her to get a clue?"
"Ugh…" Quinn threw her arms into the air in frustration. "Seriously, S. I really don't want her to catch on after a day. If I make it obvious, I'll be outed." She quickly turned towards the track where the rest of the team was running laps. "Faster! You have five minutes to complete ten laps!" Feet began to shuffle as the cheerleaders started to sprint in fear of their head cheerleader's wrath. She turned back to her friends. "Seriously, guys. I prefer small gestures that aren't too obvious. I'm just lucky enough Britt was there was Nelson had that slushy."
"The stains still won't come of…" Brittany whined, remembering the splash from before.
"We'll get it dry cleaned after practice," Santana said, not taking her eyes off the other girl. "Look, Q. If you really want Man Hands to notice and maybe have feelings for you, you can't keep covering it up. At this rate, it will take her five years to get a clue. And you'll be outed once that happens. I really don't see the problem with rushing it."
"She likes Finn," Quinn said loudly yet slowly for emphasis. "You want him to throw chairs at me? You saw what he did when he found out Puck was the father of my child!"
Santana simply scoffed at the comment. "Oh please. That pale gorilla goes into blind rage so it won't even hit you. And stop wimping out or I'll tell her, myself."
Quinn groaned, knowing the girl will keep her word even if it kills her. She looked at Brittany who was playing the hems of her skirt. "Britt. Did Berry say anything about Finn being her beard?" she asked, hoping the tall blonde can stop her girlfriend from spilling the beans.
Brittany looked up. "Hm? Well she said they're both straight. Kind of shocked when I asked."
"How can a straight person fall in love with a dolphin that has a brain the size of an ant?" Santana questioned, receiving a shrug.
"But she did say that if he was her beard, she'll be too scared to say it. It's weird because everyone thinks she is because her dads are gay."
"Oh look! I have hope!" Quinn said, struggling to add some sarcasm into her tone. "Now you can keep your mouth shut, Santana."
"Ugh~ You're being so difficult~" Santana groaned.
The sound of a whistle was heard before the feedback of a bullhorn came from the end of the field. "Liven up, ladies! It's show time!" Sue Silvester shouted through the bullhorn.
Santana looked at Quinn who felt relieve at the appearance of their coach. "Oh, we're talking about this later, Fabray. You can't hide in the closet forever now that I know."
Rachel fiddled with her hairbrush as she looked at Mercedes and Kurt who sat on her bed, both of them confused and speechless at her story from the day. "Wait… Hold on a second… Brittany asked if Finn was your beard?" Mercedes asked.
"Yes! I was really confused because I never really thought about using Finn like that. He's too nice to be manipulated after that whole 'Run, Joey. Run' incident."
"Not an incident but we get it," Kurt chimed in, still processing the information given. "And right after that, she saved you from a slushy facial after you called her a friend."
"So Rick 'the Stick' attacked her for that which then led to Quinn throwing a slushy at him," Mercedes finished.
"So… Quinn slushied Azimio who seemed to have had eyes on you for the slushy… and then she slushied Rick for picking on Brittany…" Kurt shared a knowing glance with Mercedes before they looked at the confused diva seated at the dresser. He held up his finger before standing up. "Mind if the two of us talk outside for a bit?"
Rachel looked at them, confused at how they want to discuss the situation without her. "S-su-"
"Thanks." Kurt quickly dragged Mercedes out of the room, closing the door and leading her to the other end of the hallway. "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"
"That Quinn Fabray is suddenly becoming protective of Rachel? Hell yes. I've had my suspicions about her since the year started but I thought she just loosened up a little. But really? Quinn 'Head Bitch of the Cheerios' Fabray going gay for our Rachel Berry?"
"The sudden shift in attitude towards her seems a lot like it." Kurt rested her hand under his chin in thought. "Should we tell her?"
"And have her freak out? No way. Besides, she's worrying about Finn. She'll start to ramble on about how impossible it would be for her to like a girl, let alone Quinn."
"Hmm… True… Very true… And she's already freaking out with Nationals coming up. I guess we should break it to her after Prom and Nationals if she doesn't figure it out soon."
"Agreed." They marched back to Rachel's room to find her patiently waiting, worried of what they'll say.
"Rachel, we have come to a conclusion about this matter. And what we think is this: be friends with Quinn."
The diva blinked a few times, surprised of their answer. "E-excuse me?"
"Quinn is trying to be your friend, Rachel," Mercedes said," Protecting us glee kids by deflecting slushies? Going down to just calling you names and actually using your name? She wants to be your friend."
Rachel couldn't help but to open and close her mouth, unable to make any sound from the confusion. "Wait… what…? Me and Quinn? As friends? No. Nonononono…" She stood up and started to pace. "I-it can't be possible. She hates my guts. Why would she even-"
"It's true. She's gotten really soft towards us even after rejoining the Cheerios. It would all fall into place," Kurt said. "Take the chance before she turns bitchy again."
Rachel nervously bit her lower lip, unsure what to make of the situation or if she'll be able to approach the cheerleader in such a way.
The sound of the locker slamming closed was heard before Rachel banged her head against it. She let out a loud groan as her arms limply swung at her sides. She didn't seem to ignore the footsteps approaching her.
"What's up, RuPaul?"
The diva jumped at the call and shielded herself when she saw the "Big Quench" cups filled to the brim with grape slushies. She heard a scoff. "Relax. We're not going to hit you or anything. At least not today, hobbit."
She looked up to find the Unholy Trinity, Brittany sipping from the cup in her hands and Quinn holding two. "Uh… hi… What brings you three to my locker?" She tried to feign innocence but the way Quinn raised her eyebrows suggested she failed.
"Just a little deal, midget." Quinn held up the extra cup. "A truce treat for today."
Rachel looked at the cup, scared that the head Cheerio will toss it into her face if she were to reach for it. She shakily reached for it before finding the blonde placing it in her hands. "Stop shaking or you'll spill."
"S-sorry…" She looked at the treat before at the three. "U-um… I don't want to come off as rude but… Why are you being so nice all of a sudden?"
"Britt told me to and I can't say 'no' to her," Santana said bluntly before taking a sip of her drink. "Going on and on about wanting to stay as friends with you."
Quinn pursed her lips before giving a quick nod. "Ditto. Can't say no to Britt." She ignored the nudges from Santana. "Besides, better having a day drinking one rather than taking one to the face." She slyly bit into her straw, taking a slow sip as she didn't take her eyes off the small diva.
"O-okay… I was just curious… But uh… is it okay if we can talk? In private? We can go to the auditorium before glee club if you want."
Quinn held back a smile and continued drinking. "Sure. Just don't start singing show tunes or I'll ditch."
"O-okay."
"Well look at what we have here," a voice sneered as footsteps were heard. "Glad to have you ladies back."
The three rolled their eyes and turned to find the hockey players. "Oh. Just you guys. So what do you want with us?"
Rick smirked before getting close. "Thought you joined the losers, Fabray. You're one of us so I thought it'd be fishy for you to be hanging out with that theater wannabe. Glad you returned with some treats for her."
Santana looked over at her friend and noticed the harsh look in her eyes. Sure, the head cheerleader was smiling, but anyone could tell that she was angry. She carefully reached over and tapped Brittany's arm, making the two back away towards Rachel who shrunk against the lockers.
"You know what, Rick? You're right. What am I doing hanging out with losers? I should really go back and give out some punishment." She turned back to Rachel who found herself surrounded by the Cheerios. She shrunk in fear at their gazes before noticing a simple smirk on Quinn's face along with a wink. She found the cup snatched away before Quinn's mouth moved but no sound seemed to have come. "I'll treat you tomorrow," she seemed to have mouthed.
Rachel was confused at the statement but in a flash, the three turned back to the hockey players, dousing them with the syrupy drink. Collective gasps were heard through the halls as the Cheerios laughed at the boys' suffering.
"Win Regionals and then tell us who to hang out with!" Quinn sneered before walking off with her friends, leaving Rachel speechless. For the second day in a row, Quinn Fabray has protected Rachel Berry from a slushy attack.
Laughter rang through the choir room as the glee kids watched the footage from this morning during their free period. "I can't believe they actually sent those guys to the ground!" Tina exclaimed.
"Oh man, I really can't wait to hear what they have to say when they come in," Blaine said, receiving nods from everyone else.
"Rachel looks like a lost puppy when they left," Artie noted, seeing the girl frozen and unable to let words come out of her mouth from the shock.
"This is really going to be an interesting year," Mercedes chuckled," Play it again. Their faces are priceless!"
"Whose faces are priceless?" Santana asked as she stepped into the room with Brittany, making the group freeze in their spots.
"Uh…"
"Hand over the phone, Lady Hummel."
The flamboyant boy pouted before passing his phone to the Latina. She turned it over to get a good look at the video. She snorted. "Glad someone caught it. Oh, how I love the taste of defeat." She looked at the others who were confused at their behavior. "What?"
"So… why did you defend Rachel and send slushies into the faces of jocks…?" Sam asked.
"Oh that?"
"They called me stupid yesterday…" Brittany said with a pout, poking her fingers together.
"And whoever makes fun of Brittany will get me going Lima Heights on their sorry asses. Anymore questions?"
Finn slowly raised his hand. "Where's Rachel?"
Quinn stepped into the auditorium and softly smiled to herself when she spotted a familiar brunette standing at the piano, shuffling through sheet music with her back to the cheerleader. "That better not be show tunes, Berry," she joked, making the girl jump.
Rachel turned at the call, trying to calm down. "Quinn. You're… You're early…" She gathered the sheets into a neat pile before stuffing them into a folder. "I was just organizing the sheet music for some possible originals. They're not complete yet so I just want to get started as soon as I can."
"Hm." Quinn started to make her way down the stairs. "So you said you wanted to talk in private? What about?"
"Oh! Um… Maybe we should sit down for this," Rachel suggested, scared the Cheerio will tower over her like the day before. She pulled out the seat for the piano before letting the blonde sit. Quinn scooted over, patting the spot next to her.
"If you want me to sit, you should as well."
The diva hesitated, making incoherent noises as if to refuse before being pulled down into the seat. "O-okay…"
"So what did you want to talk about, Berry?"
Rachel took in a deep breath, unsure how to approach the subject. The head Cheerio has been acting so nice to her after over two years of torment. Nothing but having harsh names thrown at her and recently finding out that she's the one responsible for the pornographic drawings in the girls' bathrooms. Sometimes a slushy facial a little more than twice a week.
"I just… I'm just confused, Quinn. You've been doing nothing but torment me for two years and still throw insults until recently. You're being nicer to me, protecting me from slushy attacks the past two days… It just seems so weird and unlike you and I'm getting worried."
Quinn looked at her longingly, her chin rested on the palm of her hand with her knee propped on top of her leg. "Since when were you ever worried about anyone but yourself, Rachel?"
A soft groan was heard. Of course she would bring up her whole diva act. She just couldn't help herself. Years of lessons with nothing to show for. Glee was the only outlet for her to release her creativity and led to her putting up a diva act.
"I just… I dunno… Even Mercedes and Kurt said you're being nicer to them and it's really throwing us off about your behavior and we're wondering what's going on with you."
The blonde seemed to have found herself lost in Rachel's brown eyes. It was pretty cute to see her worried and moping. "Well. What did they say?"
"What do you mean?"
"Clearly the three of you have talked about it. Tell me. What did Mercedes and Kurt say about this sudden change in behavior?" She was definitely curious about how others outside the Unholy Trinity viewed her actions. But she was also worried that it might have accidentally outed her.
"Well… um… They said you're becoming softer because… you want to be friends with me."
More than friends actually.
Quinn raised an eyebrow in amusement. "Oh?"
Rachel quickly stood up, afraid of the head Cheerio's next comment. "S-sorry. We must be silly to be thinking like that. I mean. Why would the head cheerleader want to be friends with me? It just doesn't make any sense in the social ladder and you've pretty much hated my guts since freshman year and-" She stopped when she found her hand grabbed. Her cheeks gained a pink tint and she looked over at Quinn who simply smiled at the gesture.
"Well. They're not completely wrong," she teased. "I do want to be your friend, Rachel. But only if you say yes."
"Yes? For what?" She froze when she saw the devilish smirk on the girl's face.
"Accompany me to Prom."