Disclaimer: I do not own Glee or its characters.
Rachel opened up her locker and looked at the notepad hanging on the door, revealing a checklist for Prom. After making up with Quinn, she couldn't help but to feel excited about Prom even if it was just their junior year. Just her and Quinn... and Mercedes and Sam.
At first she thought it was strange how Quinn suddenly invited her to a motel one night without any further explanation. She wasn't sure what the Cheerio was up to until she saw Sam in the room tending to two small children. Hearing the story about Sam's father losing his job and his family being forced to live in a motel was too heartbreaking for the diva to not cry and hug the blonde jock in comfort. She promised to keep it all a secret by his request and follow Quinn to help out when needed. Kurt eventually followed once he caught wind of the situation so the four made a pact. Unfortunately, they were unable to keep their secret any longer when Finn confronted them about leaving the motel room after spying on them and reading the possibility in the school newspaper. She was quite offended at how Finn went to the extent of following them to the motel just to see if they were doing something suspicious. The two girls weren't even dating him so it felt like he really shouldn't be concerned enough to stalk them about it. She couldn't find herself talking to him after that even if Sam cleared the air and explained what happened and received the support from the glee club.
She truly felt bad for his situation and asked Quinn if it was okay if he could join them for Prom. Surprisingly, the blonde was able to agree and welcomed her ex-boyfriend with open arms. She was able to find one of her father's old suits for him to borrow and had to find a way to get him a date and budget accordingly so he wouldn't feel guilty about receiving their help. Luckily, they were able to get a hold of Mercedes who, at one point, decided not to attend Prom due to not having a date. The two friends knew they had some sort of chemistry together but never approached each other about it due to the boy's past relationships. They were able to convince her with their idea, knowing that everyone should be able to enjoy the night even if it's just with friends. She decided to join in and offered a way to help them get corsages for the event. Rachel was glad to be able to let them have their moment even if they're going as a group of friends.
Rachel carefully marked parts of the list with a star before looking at "corsage". She couldn't help but to ponder on what kind of corsage she should make either for herself or for Quinn. The head Cheerio did ask her if they can go together so the least she could do is exchange corsages.
She glanced over at Quinn who was standing at her locker to get her books for her next class. Surprisingly, she decided to not wear her Cheerios uniform today, allowing her blonde locks fall to her shoulders and frame her face. She was wearing a white dress with a soft grey cardigan and matching flats. It was a very simple outfit but on her, it was quite beautiful.
Rachel stopped upon realizing that she was staring. She quickly closed her locker before heading to class, not noticing the glance from the blonde down the hall.
Quinn slowly opened the door to Sue Sylvester's office. "Q! I've been expecting you," the coach said, not taking her eyes off of her journal. "Take a seat and I'll be right with you."
The younger blonde took in a deep breath before taking a seat, resting the red box she had with her on her lap. "You wanted to see me, Coach Sylvester?" she asked, knowing it may have to do with her going to school out of her Cheerios uniform.
"Yes, Q, and it is something that has caught my attention this year." She closed her journal before looking at her head Cheerio, her arms resting on her desk. "You've changed. I'm not sure if it's for the best or for the worst. You quit the Cheerios to stick with your Glee Club, yet you still allow yourself to be a Cheerio again after winning Regionals in show choir. And now look at you. Stripping yourself of your uniform."
"Coach Sylvester, I can explain-"
"You like her, don't you?"
Quinn was taken aback by the question. "E-excuse me?" She silently cursed to herself for stuttering in front of her coach.
Sue leaned closer, focusing only on the young blonde in front of her. "You like Rachel Berry, don't you? Not in a friendly way, to be more specific."
The blonde was left speechless. She was sure that she wouldn't show signs in front of her coach during practice or in the hallway if the older blonde was present. "How did-"
"It was obvious from day one." Sue stood up from her seat, walking up to the head Cheerio before taking a seat atop her desk. Her expression seemed to have softened a little. "You do know there's nothing wrong with that, right? Having feelings for someone even if the same gender."
"Coach, I just-" She stopped when her coach raised her hand to silence her.
"Does your family know?"
Quinn shook her head, making the older woman sigh. "Any idea on when you'll tell them?"
"I'm still thinking about it… But how did you find out?"
"The way you were treating Berry and her beloved Glee Club drastically changed. You defended her, defended them. When she broke up with Finn Hudson, you were so ecstatic yet never got back with him. That was when all of the pieces fell into place." She noticed the Cheerio twiddling her thumbs, her gaze towards the box as she bit her lower lip. "Q, you really shouldn't be afraid. I won't tell anyone. Just know that you have my full support."
Quinn looked at her, unable to believe her ears at Sue's words. "Really?"
"Of course. You have been under my watch for three years. The least I can do is make sure you'll be fine. Look at Santana. She's happy now, isn't she? But if you want to wait, so be it. Just know that you'll have to fess up at some point." She stood back up, folding her arms. She looked at the box in the younger blonde's hands. "I suppose you're handing in your uniform for this reason."
Quinn tightly held onto it. "Y-yeah… I figured it might be for the best… The Cheerios have been inactive so I thought it's better to wait until next year. There's only a month left and I want to spend it walking around normally." She held out the box.
Sue looked at it before back at the girl in front of her. She always saw the young Quinn Fabray as a teenaged version of herself given her drive to achieve what she wants even if it hurts others. She knew there was a soft side to her that she kept away all these years but figured it was something else. She actually didn't mind having her head Cheerio falling for a girl even if it was the co-captain of her rival club. She just wanted to make sure her girls are able to not stray too far from the task at hand and still be committed to cheerleading.
What happened with the cannon was simply a test. She wanted to be more adventurous with the routines her girls are putting on, but wasn't sure if they were human enough to think about it. She chose Brittany to be the one shot out of the cannon because she knew it was easier to manipulate the naïve blonde and the other two were quite protective of her. It was obvious they would quickly go to her rescue and reveal the softer side of them even if they deny it. It was quite a risk to put Regionals at stake, but at least her three favorite girls were able to make decisions for themselves before they graduate.
Sue looked at the box before pushing it back to her head Cheerio. "If you're going to return for your senior year, keep it. It will only collect dust in my office if it's going to wait four months for you."
"Are you sure?"
"Of course. Just make sure to be fully committed to the Cheerios and we'll be on our merry way. Now get the hell out of my office."
Quinn abruptly stood up from the command, a smile on her face. "Thank you, Coach Sylvester. I will do my best next year." She held the box close to her chest before leaving.
Quinn walked over to Rachel's locker and noticed she was talking to Finn. Her eyebrows raised when she noticed how angry the diva was with her arms folded and glaring at the titan. It couldn't be more obvious that they were arguing over something and she found herself walking over.
"I can't believe you're going to Prom with Quinn! You two hate each other!" Finn said, a hint of anger and annoyance in his voice.
"Look, Finn. Quinn and I have gone through some rough patches the past few months, but we're fine. We're friends now. And why are you so concerned? We're not dating anymore so you really should have no business on who I'm friends with."
Quinn couldn't help but to feel flattered at the brunette's words. "Aw~ Thanks, Rach," she said, wrapping an arm around the girl's shoulders and letting the two know of her presence. She offered a smile towards Finn. "Hi, Finn. Found a date to Prom yet?"
Finn seemed to have ignored the question, annoyed by the sudden appearance. "Quinn. Fess up. Since when did you start being friends with Rachel? You've done nothing but torment her for two whole years."
"Well after being pregnant and getting the support from the glee club, I figured it'd be best to just be nicer to everyone. Especially Rachel here. Oh yeah, did you get that herbal tea from my mom yet?"
Rachel brightened up from her mention of the gift. "Yes! Thank you so much, Quinn. After about two cups, it felt like I could breathe better and I was able to work on my range. I really owe you."
"No problem."
Finn looked at the two in disbelief. Quinn giving a gift to Rachel to improve her singing? He recalled seeing his ex-girlfriend taunting the diva for getting laryngitis or supporting her nose job. "Quinn, this isn't like you."
Quinn looked at him, making him tense at the cold look in her eyes. "There's really nothing wrong with changing, Finn. Yes, I have treated Rachel like garbage, but she was one of the few people in this school to support me. She bribed Jacob Ben Israel to not post that article on my pregnancy and came up with that song once the news broke out. You outed that news to my parents after I tried so hard to keep it away from them. Yes, I do regret with sleeping with Puck and lying to you, but I can see the error in my ways. Being friends with Rachel is just a starting point. She was the number one victim in this school to be tormented by everyone who had access to slushies. But not once did you help her when she gets a slushie facial. I had to take it into my own hands this year even if it got my hands dirty. Even Brittany decided to push her away from a slushie attack and we all know she tends to have a slow reaction to it because she usually thinks it's a treat for her. At least she has the courage to do something you never did." She saw the fury in his eyes and felt Rachel tugging on her dress to warn her to stop before the quarterback would blow a fuse. She let out a sigh, hoping to calm down before she goes off on another rant. "Neither one of us will go to Prom with you, Finn. It may cost us Prom King and Queen votes, but I truly don't care anymore. I'll just try again next year with someone else. Hell, maybe even get Rachel nominated and let everyone vote for her and her talent. Use my popularity to spread the word." The bell rang, making her stop. She let go of Rachel before locking arms with her. "Let's go, Rach. We can't be late to class." She started to lead the diva away.
"You do know you're making a big mistake, Quinn!"
Quinn smiled to herself before waving him off with her free hand. "Not my problem!"
Rachel couldn't help but to stare as the two walked. She was actually in awe at the blonde's words for her and warding off Finn. She nervously pursed her lips before looking forward. "You know you didn't have to that."
"Oh, I know. I just wanted to. Finn must have been annoying you lately so it's probably better to step in so he won't bother you."
"Maybe… But enough about Finn. Why aren't you in your Cheerios uniform? I wanted to ask this morning but I didn't want to pry."
"I quit the Cheerios."
Rachel looked at her in shock. "Again? Quinn, you just reentered the Cheerios after we won Regionals. Being one has always been important to you. Coach Sylvester must have been furious."
Quinn let out a soft laugh as she led the brunette into their class. "It's fine. As long as I rejoin for our senior year, there will be nothing to worry about. The Cheerios don't have much to do so I really have no need to be on it for the time being."
"I see… I just don't want you to do anything too crazy."
"Helping the biggest loser in McKinley, becoming her friend and taking her to Prom. Yes. Quitting Cheerios is definitely the craziest thing I've ever done," she said, sarcasm evident.
"Quinn." Rachel looked at the blonde, making her laugh. "I'm serious. I really don't want you to change so much. It feels like you're mostly doing it for... well me. I don't want you to force yourself and-"
"Rachel. This is our junior year and it's about to come to an end. It's best to try to spend it fully committed to Nationals and to turn over a new leaf. Besides, I can trust Santana and Brittany in keeping the team in shape while I'm gone. Perhaps you can also try. I'm sure you've had your regrets the past few years that you want to fix. Why not do that now before it's too late?" Speak for yourself, Fabray... But you promised so just let it slide...
Rachel tightly folded her hands as she looked down at them. "I suppose so... But just make sure that you're comfortable with your decisions. I know we just started being friends, but I just don't want anything to jeopardize it. People respect you and it would hurt to see all of it disappear when you're changing."
Quinn couldn't help but to smile, happy to see the diva so concerned for her well-being. It wasn't something that one would often hear due to how awkward it may be to express such deep feelings. She was grateful that the brunette let out that side of her. "Thanks, Rach. I know it's still surprising to you, but I have always wanted to call you by your real name. Just had to keep my HBIC image in check so sorry about all of those insults. Santana's trying her best to keep it to a minimum."
This earned a laugh from the brunette. It was quite obvious that the Latina was trying her best for Quinn's sake to not insult Rachel as often as she used to as long as Rachel did the same. The two actually caught her calling the diva some of her infamous nicknames like "RuPaul" or "hobbit" before cursing at herself and quickly fixing it. It was quite a humorous sight for the glee club to see her trying so hard to be nice to everyone and resist the Lima Heights side of her. But Rachel was grateful for the effort. It made her more confident in learning to be friends with the Unholy Trinity, a feat that would be considered impossible at McKinley for someone like her. Being in a diverse club like Glee sure had its perks.
She looked at Quinn again and noticed the green in the blonde's hazel eyes became more prominent than the past. It was quite a beautiful shade of green and it immediately sparked a form of inspiration for her. "Hey, Quinn... Can I ask you something?" she asked, not taking her eyes off the blonde who seemed to have done the same thing after getting her books ready.
"Sure. Ask away." The smile seemed to have never left Quinn's face as she thought about what her new friend could ask her.
"Well... It's about the corsages. I know the plan we made with Mercedes and Sam had us make our own corsages, but..."
"But?" Quinn's smile seemed to have widened in anticipation.
"Well since you have asked me to go with you to Prom, I thought it might be nice for us to make each other's corsages instead. I know we're just going as friends but because we were going to go by ourselves at first, it might be better if we can exchange them."
Touched, Quinn rested her chin on her hand. "That would be great. I look forward to what you have in mind for my corsage."
Rachel couldn't help but to feel giddy at the blonde's agreement to her idea. "G-great! I look forward to it!" she beamed in excitement.
Mercedes couldn't help but to feel amused as she found Rachel vigorously sketching in her notebook as they were in the former's mother's garden. The two wanted to spend the day figuring out ideas and designs for their corsages, but she never expected the brunette to be so excited about it. Then again, she did recall receiving a call from Quinn asking to put some light pink roses on reserve for a later date. Those two quickly put the pieces together for the proud diva to see that those two were definitely planning each other's corsages.
She cleared her throat, making her friend jump at the sound and look up. She tried to hide a smile when she saw the shorter diva's face turn a light shade of pink and hid the notebook. "She makes this way too easy." She carefully shifted her position on the ground to be more comfortable. "So Rachel. Got any ideas on how you want to make yours yet?" she asked, curious of the brunette's thoughts. "A bracelet or a broach?"
Rachel soon let out a sigh, relieved that Mercedes didn't ask her about the actual design and her choice of flowers. "Um... I was thinking of a bracelet. Broaches are pretty difficult to position and can damage the dress. I hope it can be perfect because we might not be able to do this next year."
Mercedes just smiled as the girl continued to ramble on. "Is it for Quinn?"
Rachel's mouth went agape, making her friend laugh.
"You've been staring at the gardenias for an hour already. I know you would usually go with a white or pink corsage, but I'm pretty sure gardenias uses green and you would not want that going with your dress."
The diva pursed her lips as she held the notebook close to her chest. "Is it bad that I'm excited about this? I mean, I really want it to be perfect for her since she always loved Prom. We originally planned to go as friends but because she asked, I figured-"
"That you two can exchange corsages. I get it. And don't worry so much, Rachel. It's your first time doing something with Quinn as friends so of course you'll be excited. And didn't you say you always wanted to be her friend since freshman year?" She noticed her friend's face turn red, shocked that she would know of such information. This made Mercedes laugh again. "The last time we had a sleepover with Kurt, you were talking in your sleep. Mumbling something about Quinn's change in behavior and liking it. 'You're my shining knight in armor, Quinn' or 'Why can't we be friends? I'll be a Cheerio for it.'"
Rachel let out a loud groan and covered her face in embarrassment. "I can't believe I was sleep talking about that... This is so embarrassing."
"Well just know that Kurt and I never told anyone about it. But I'm actually really curious, Rachel. What's gotten you so excited?"
The question seemed to have thrown the diva off for a moment. She couldn't seem to find the right words to answer as words were jumbled in her head. Sure, she was happy that the two are now friends and have become close. A bit too quickly from an outsider's point. Ever since the two cleared up what happened in her room, she just gets so excited whenever she finds a chance to hang out with the former head Cheerio. Sometimes she ends up staring at her for some reason. Perhaps it was how she dressed. She still wore baby doll dresses but didn't necessarily style herself as the innocent, perfect girl like last year. She mostly wore them in confidence as proven by her different hairstyles. Sometimes they would be curled and styled for a more adult look or pull up the top portion with a few locks to frame her face.
She stopped, realizing she was fantasizing about the different outfits the blonde wore whenever she was out of her Cheerios uniform. Her face turned red and she looked down. "I-I don't know... This is kind of new to me so I kind of want to work it out with her before I make any conclusions… It's only been a few weeks since we became friends so I'm just not sure…"
"At least you two are getting along. Just let us know if you need any help. She's lived with me for a while so I know enough."
Rachel smiled and held her friend in a hug. "Thank you so much, Mercedes… I just really want things to work out between us…"
And that's Chapter 7! Rachel's feelings about Quinn are still mixed up but perhaps there's more than what she thinks of it.
Still working on the next chapter while working on another story and figuring out all of my other summer projects. Feel free to review!