Quinn
"Ms. Sylvester wants to see you in her office, Mr. Shue. She doesn't like to be kept waiting," Quinn says.
"You got it."
Quinn walks past Will in a hurry to get to her locker. The last thing she wants to do is get involved in whatever heat is about to be unleashed on Will. Santana gives her a knowing look and they part ways as they reach the hallway to go to their lockers. Quinn gives Santana a small waive and as she turns she smiles at Finn who's waiting for her at her locker.
"Hey I waited for you after practice yesterday and you never showed," Finn says.
Quinn doesn't make eye contact as she opens her locker.
"Are you even hearing me, Quinn?"
Quinn shuts her locker abruptly after grabbing her book.
"You're right, Finn. I didn't show up because it doesn't seem like you're taking our relationship very seriously lately. We're supposed to be the most popular kids in school. The kids that all the other losers look up to. Future prom king and queen, homecoming royalty. I'm not giving up those shiny crowns just so you can express yourself."
"You're making too big of a deal about this."
"Okay, let's compromise. If you quit the club, I'll let you touch my breast," she motions to her chest for emphasis.
"Under the shirt?"
She nods. "Over the bra."
Finn seems to consider this for a moment then shakes his head. "No, no. I can't. I want to do Glee. I-I'm really happy when I'm performing."
"People think you're gay now, Finn. And you know what that makes me? Your big gay beard," she says and enunciates the last four words, even gestering her hands for extra emphasis.
"Look I-I gotta go to class, okay?" Finn swings his backpack over his shoulder. "Just relax. Everything's gonna work out." Finn walks away right past Rachel who's standing at her locker.
Quinn glares at the back of her head. "Eavesdrop much?" Rachel turns to look at her and shuts her own locker. "Time for some girl talk, man hands. You can dance with him, you can sing with him, but you will never have him."
"I understand why you'd be threatened. Finn and I have made a connection, but I'm an honorable person. I don't need to steal your man. I have plenty of suitors of my own. Everyday Glee's status is going up and yours is going down…" Rachel begins to back up with her arms crossed and as she turns around she gets a blue slushee to the face.
Quinn covers her face to hold back a smile. She doesn't understand why Rachel talks like that anyway. She's just asking to get slushied or threatened by the head cheerleader, herself. Rachel doesn't make eye contact as she rushes in the bathroom to clean herself.
Quinn shakes her head, she feels bad for the girl but she's just asking to get bullied. With her sweaters and the ridiculous way she parts her hair. If she wants to be a leader someday she better learn to show some assertiveness outside of the ridiculous Glee club.
—
Rachel
"We need recruits. There are six of you. We need twelve to qualify for Regionals. We have no choice or the club is over. I know you guys don't like this song, but we took Nationals back in '93 with Freak Out. It's a crowd-pleaser. Trust me," Will claps for emphasis and motions at Brad. "From the top."
"I'm dead," Finn says with crossed arms shaking his head and walking away.
Rachel gives him a worried look and follows him. He might be right. She was slushied today right in front of Quinn when she was finally sticking up to her. It's not like Quinn bullies her, not really. But the rest of the Cheerios do it enough that it feels like Quinn is probably instructing them to. She isn't trying to steal Finn from her, of course not. She's always thought she might be interested in Finn but after spending this much time with him in Glee she's realized he's kind of a doof. She needs a strong man by her side that is equal to her. Sure Finn can follow her vocally but not intellectually. However, sometimes Rachel wishes she could take Finn just to prove to Quinn that she could. But Rachel isn't like that, not usually. She's competitive, sure, but she isn't malicious. Not in the slightest.
A few days later she ends up in Emma's office. For trying to throw up her lunch in the toilet.
"Rachel, bulimia is a very messy, serious disease," Emma says as she puts on hand sanitizer.
"I don't have bulimia. I tried it and failed, and won't ever attempt it again."
"Okay," Emma says softly rubbing in the hand sanitizer.
"It grossed me out," Rachel says and looks down at her lap hoping to get out of here soon.
"Okay, but I still wanna talk about the feelings that you had that led up to you wanting to puke your guts out," Emma responds, still rubbing in the hand sanitizer.
"I wanna be thinner. And prettier like that Quinn girl," Rachel responds, not making eye contact as Emma organizers things on her desk.
"Mhm, and, um, why is that?"
"Have you ever liked somebody so much you just wanna lock yourself in your room, turn on sad music and cry?"
"No, but a boy crush, huh? I know about that. I mean, not now. It takes me back in the day. Like, a long time ago. I know about that. You know what? You need to remember, Rachel, to protect your heart. I don't care who he is. If he doesn't like you for the way you are, or if he's...you know, he's married, with a baby on the way. That's not worth the heartache. You don't wanna compromise yourself for that," Emma says and looks out into the hallway at Will. Rachel turns her head and sees Will then turns back to look at Emma. "Um...have you just tried...telling him how you feel?"
Rachel looks back down at her lap. "He doesn't even notice me."
"I see. Um, okay, well here's what I think. Common interests are the key to romance. All right? So find out what he likes. Then he'll see you in a positive way, and maybe you'll end up doing something that you never would've expected."
Rachel smiles and nods. She thanks Emma for the help and leaves her office. She isn't really sure of how much of what Emma said was really meant for her but at least the last part may be helpful. She could prove to Quinn that she does have what it takes to steal Finn away from her if she just does things that Finn likes.
Later Rachel tries to help Finn feel more confident about his solo but because Sue catches them using the copy machine her plan to connect with Finn is ultimately foiled by Sue's ridiculous antics. As they leave the ridiculous meeting with Sue they try once again to convince Will to change the song for the assembly but he doesn't listen.
"Do you wanna practice for the assembly tomorrow after school?" Rachel offers.
"I can't, I got a celibacy club meeting," Finn reponds and smiles as he walks away to class.
This gives Rachel an idea. If she joins the celibacy club she would be doing something Finn likes and she could connect with him. It's foolproof. Then she could show Quinn just how easy it is for her to have everything she has.
The next day when Rachel gets to the celibacy club it seems to just be all cheerios and Finn isn't even there.
"Where are all the boys?"
"Down the hall. First half hour, we seperate. Then we come together to share our faith," Quinn says.
Rachel doesn't really understand the point of the celibacy club. She is pretty sure half the girls in here have had sex before and when the guys join in she realizes most of the guys are definitely here just to meet girls to hook up with. They do this ridiculous balloon exercise and she's paired with Jacob Ben Israel so she doesn't even get to talk to Finn. After a few moments Finn pops his and Quinn's balloon.
Rachel realizes this is her chance to connect with Finn and finally says, "You know what? This is a joke. Did you know that most studies have demonstrated that celibacy doesn't work in high schools? Our hormones are driving us too crazy to abstain. The second we start telling ourselves that there's no room for compromise, we act out. The only way to deal with teen sexuality is to be prepared. That's what contraception is for. You wanna know a dirty little secret that none of them want you to know?" Rachel looks directly at Finn. "Girls want sex just as much as guys do." Rachel turns around and storms out of the classroom to make her grand exit. That should be enough to get Finn Hudson thinking about her.
This leads Rachel to proposing to the Glee club the next day that instead of going ahead with the social suicide that is disco they give the people what they want. Sex. Finn even backs her up on the idea. As they perform the song "Push It" they do sexy choreography and at the end she even climbs on Finn. That'll show Quinn Fabray.
After school she practices with Finn and she was right. It finally seems like her and Finn are really connecting. She may have made Will angry but what does that matter when her plan worked. As her and Finn have their mid practice picnic that she prepared and the stage she knows they're having a moment. But it doesn't feel like she thought it would. She's nervous but it doesn't feel like a good kind of nervous that she gets before her performances. They make heavy eye contact.
"You're cool, Rachel," Finn says.
Rachel turns away anxiously. "Do you want a drink?"
"Yeah."
She grabs her thermos and says, "Virgin cosmos." She pours them each a small cup.
"Cool. That stuff you said at the celibacy club, that was really cool," he says and takes a cup from her. "Thanks."
Rachel smiles. "Well...cheers." She says and they knock their small plastic cups together.
"The cups are like the airplane cups," he says and gives a small laugh as they each take a sip. They each put their cups down and make eye contact again. "Oh, you got a little cosmo right…" he reaches out and touches the tops of her lip slowly.
Her eyes widen and she looks down at his thumb on her lip.
"Here." He takes his hand off her and looks at her lips.
She isn't sure why she says what she says next. It just feels like the right thing to say. "You know you can kiss me if you want to."
"I want to."
She lays back on the pillow she had set up for the picnic and he hovers over her and kisses her. It's not like anything she's ever experienced before. His lips are warm and a little wet from the cosmo. He kisses her once, looks in her eyes and then he kisses her again, slower this time.
He pulls away abruptly and his eyes widen.
"What? Did I do something wrong?" She starts to sit up.
He stands up quickly. "No, no. Um...I just gotta go. Look, please don't tell anybody about this, okay?"
Finn leaves and Rachel shakes her head feeling more confused than anything. She puts her face in her hands and sighs heavily trying not to cry.
—
Quinn
Quinn, Santana, and Brittany stand in the choir room in front of Will ready to audition for Glee club with Quinn as lead vocals and Santana and Brittany singing backup.
"I have to say, I'm really surprised you guys are trying out," Will says.
"I'm sure you've read about this in the school paper. Finn and I have been an item for awhile now, so what kind of girlfriend would I be if I didn't support him?"
"Well let's see what you got," Will says and presses play on the CD player.
As they perform "I Say a Little Prayer" complete with small and sexy choreography Quinn doesn't believe a word of the song. Her whole life is planned out for her thanks to her parents and it's all mapped out so neat and perfect. But that's not how she feels. She doesn't really want a perfect life. But that's what was chosen for her. She will marry Finn after high school and get a cute little house, an office job, and Finn will provide for their family. They'll go to church every Sunday and live happily ever after. So what if she sleeps with Puck on the side until then? She can't sleep with Finn until they get married because that's how it's supposed to be. So she will join Glee club to keep an eye on Finn and what he doesn't know won't hurt him. That ridiculous audition is what lands her in Sue's office the next day. She can cry on command so she gives Sue some waterworks.
"Let me get this straight. You're joining Glee club?"
"I'm sorry, Coach Sylvester, but something is going on between Finn and that thing. You saw how it was undressing him with its eyes. Please don't kick us off the cheerios."
Sue snaps her fingers and points at Quinn. "Cease fire on the waterworks. I don't wanna hear it. I don't wanna see it. You, Q, when I first laid eyes on you, I was reminded of a young Sue Sylvester, though you don't have my bone structure. But it wasn't until this very moment, I saw how alike we really are."
Quinn looks over at Santana feeling more confused than ever. Maybe Sue really did have a heart.
"You three are going to be my spies. I need eyes on the inside," Sue says and points to her eye. "We're going to bring this club down from within.
Now Quinn understands. She gets a knowing grin on her face as Santana and Brittany high five behind her back. She nods and says, "And I'm gonna get my boyfriend back."
"I don't care so much about that."
Quinn nods and resists the urge to roll her eyes. She didn't need Sue to be on her side just as long as she was fine with her being in Glee club and still being the head cheerleader.
The next day when Will tells her that she's getting the solo at regionals she realizes God might actually exist. She must be doing something right. She will win Finn back and get back on track with her plan.