CHAPTER 3
I didn't want to turn around. Whoever said her name obviously knows her personally. Dammit, I've spent 16 hours in this God forbid town and someone is already assuming I'm her, she couldn't be that famous, she was the girl who got pregnant in high school and abandoned her own daughter. If you ask me that deserves criticism, not praise. The voice was male, strong, alto and genuinely sincere so he must be a good guy. I squeezed my eyes tightly shut and slowly turned around to see who has wrongfully summoned me.
"Uh no, my name is Anna, I'm new here," I say still not look at the mystery man that called me out, my eyes were open but they were glued to my dirty converses.
"No you're not," He says this and makes my head snap up. Who does he think he is? My eyes finally met the nameless figure. A tall older man stood amongst me, spongy hair, tidy vest and a goofy grin.
"I know it's you, Beth, I just called you Quinn just to make sure it was you" I furrowed my eyebrows, who is he?
"Follow me into my office" He turns around and begins walking in the other direction, as he did that the bell rings and all the students scramble for their classrooms. I slowly followed behind the man until I reached his office with a name printed on the door, William Schuester, Principal.
"Have a seat Beth" He gestures to one of the two chairs in front of his desk and he sits down behind it.
"Okay…" I slowly walk towards the chair, before sitting down I place down my bag on the other one.
"You don't need to hide with me Beth, I know who you are and Kitty and I spoke about your current situation, I'm very sorry" He apologizes for something that wasn't his fault, everyone who has apologized had nothing to do with Shelby why should the be sorry. Instead of answering, I just press my lips together and just nod.
"Gosh, you look so much like your mother" He sighs with a smile that looks like it was soaked in nostalgia.
"Ugh, can everyone please stop saying that, I'm sick of everyone telling me I look like her and she is not my mother" I huff in frustration. I am not her, I will never be her.
"Oh sorry Beth, I thought you and your mother were close" He apologizes again for something that has nothing to do with him.
"Well, you thought wrong" I snapped. I close my eyes and try to relax. Shelby said I had my 'mother's' temper, if I thought I was bad, she must be worse.
Mr Schuester, according to the desk tag, just sat there in silence and I joined him. He looked like he was in deep thought and I didn't want to disrupt him because honestly, I didn't care I just want to get out of here. Pin drop silence filled the room for many long seconds until Mr Schuester made sudden movements. He opened his desk drawer and pulled out a small picture frame and handing it to me.
"Tell me the people you recognize in that photo," he tells me as he leans back in his chair.
I take the dusty frame and wipes some dust off the glass to get a better look. In my hands was a picture of 12 students, the one in the wheelchair holding a sign saying 'Glee Club 2009'. I take a couple of seconds to analyze the photo.
"Well there's Aunty San and Aunt Britt," I say pointing at them, "They look so young" I laugh a bit, they're so cute and small in their cheerleading uniforms. I scan the photo again.
"Oh, my sister Rachel obviously" I see Rachel there with her signature over the top smile. Ever since Shelby took me in, Rachel has made consistent visits. It's nice to know that someone other than Shelby is happy for my existence, unlike someone that I refuse to know.
"Oh, that's Mercedes, she came to visit San and Britt in New York once and she has that killer album out now" I flash of New York memories appeared in my mind. Mercedes, Britt, San and Shelby has a little Troubletones reunion backstage of one of her shows. It was legendary.
"Wait is that Mike Chang? The Mike Chang, the one that dances on tour for famous artist all around the world?" I say in excitement looking up at Mr Schuester and he nods.
Before returning the photo, I take one more good look at the photo and realise I found someone that I didn't want to find. I stared down at the photo and just stared at her. She looked perfect. Too perfect. Perfect hair, perfect eyes, perfect smile but I know deep down inside she wasn't a perfect person, I just know it.
"You know when this photo was taken you were in her stomach," Mr Schuester added. I look back at the photo and there it was, a baby bump partially shielded my Mercedes and Rachel.
"Guess which one is your father" he leans forward out of his chair, over his desk, pointing at the frame.
"What is this? Do you think that this is just some game to you-"
"Just guess"
"Fine" I huff and roll my eyes. "I don't know, Him" I point without even trying or putting any real thought into it. I choose the closest nice-looking guy next to her. A very tall, awkward guy with a weird awkward half smirk.
"Ah, Finn Hudson. No not him, he thought he was but turns out the guy 4 heads over is your father" I glare at the photo again, this time counting 4 heads over to eventually land on a guy with a mohawk, my 'mother' had interesting taste in men. I look down at the name section that matches his position, Noah Puckerman.
"Mr Schuest-"
"Mr Schue is fine" He interrupts.
"Okay, Mr Schue, I don't understand what you're trying to do" I'm so confused. "What is he trying to accomplish?" I ask.
"I want you to get to know your mother," He responds as he leans back in his chair. He's showing me a version of her that he knew, but it's not the real her. She hides under layers and layers of facades and phases but I know the true 'Quinn Fabray'.
"Don't bother, I don't want to know her anyway. She left me and I'll never forgive her for that" Immediately I spring up, snatching my backpack and fleeing the office without another word, not even bothering to say goodbye or thank you. So much for the first day and my birthday.
I stomp down the halls, late to class on my first day. I arrive in class and no one really cares. I lean back into the chair waiting for the last 20 minutes of class to end. When the bell rang I was the first one out of class.
On the way to my locker, I pass the trophy case, I stop to admire the school achievements. Football trophies, medals and a lot of Cheerio trophies. I see Britt in a picture with some others called the 'Brainiacs' and San in a Cheerios photo. Right in the middle of the case was a portrait of Finn Hudson from Glee Club, the one that Mr Schue said he thought he was my dad. I read the plaque:
"The show must go… all over the place… or something" I giggle a bit at the end, did he really say that? I read on.
"1994 to 2013… oh he's-"
"-My brother's best friend," I jumped at the sudden interruption. I spin to see Sterling standing beside me, arms bent holding his backpack straps, admiring the trophy case too.
"Finn was Sam's best friend when we moved here from down South the hit it off pretty well in glee club, speaking of…" Sterling pointed to what looked like the last glee club photo before they all graduated. We looked at the photo and I completely avoided a certain someone.
"Are you gonna join the glee club? Believe it or not, it's really popular and fun. When Sam was at school they used to get a Slushie thrown at them if they were in glee club" Sterling and I laugh.
"Uh, maybe, my mom was really into this kinda thing" The best memories of Shelby is when we sang together.
"Awesome, there a rehearsal tomorrow, you should join" a wide smile stretched across Sterling's face. "I gotta go but meet you this afternoon to walk you home… um, not just you specifically… but like all of you and stuff," he awkwardly runs his hand through his short blonde hair as he walks off.
I give a little wave goodbye and looks back at the case. One day, I want to be in this trophy case.
X
The rest of the day was about the same. I had English with Laura, Biology with Sterling and I was bumped up to Advanced Calculus with Lin. On my way to my last class, Geography, I witnessed something. Thomas from the home, being thrown against the locker by a douchebag in a letterman jacket. A small crowd accumulated and I have a strong urge to interfere but I think I've had enough attention drawn to myself today. Tom fell on the floor, unamused but not dazed.
"Same time tomorrow Tom?" The asshole spoke.
"Burn in hell Win" Tom snarled as rage grew across his face.
After the crowd dispersed I was the only one to approach Tom.
"Hey Tom, Are you okay?" I offered him a hand up and he gratefully accepted.
"Yeah I'm fine, don't worry about it, it happens all the time" he brushes off his flannel button down and jeans.
"Well, it shouldn't," I protest.
"I guess that's what I get for being one of the 2 only openly gay students at McKinley" We walk down the hall together. His scruffy brown hair looks even more unsettled than it looked this morning.
"Oh, I didn't know you're gay, that so cool. I have gay aunts, well technically they aren't my real aunts but I consider them to be" I ramble. I've met a good handful of gay men and women in my life and can I say, they are way more fun to hang around with.
"Who is the other gay student?" I curiously ask.
"My boyfriend, Lucas Newton, but everyone calls him Newt" He smiles when he mentioned his name.
"Aww that's adorable," I swoon.
"Not when you get bullied for it almost every single day because of it. It's probably not gonna work out, high school relationships never do, especially gay one" his tone changed into a sadder more depressed one.
"You know my aunts used to go to this school too" I playfully brag and attempt to lighten the mood as we slowly approach the trophy case. I stop in front of it and Tom does too. We look inside at the photo of the Glee Club and I spot Britt and San with the biggest smiles, next to each other.
"You see that Latina right there," I press my finger against the glass and Tom nods.
"Well, she married that girl right next to her," I point to Britt, "and now they live in New York and have 3 beautiful children. They are living proof that high school relationships can work. My aunty San would tell me the story of how she came out almost every single time I came over because she was so proud of herself and being with Aunt Britt made her even stronger. She was the top bitch here and this stupid school still made her feel small but you just gotta keep growing stronger. You're not the first person to be bullied or pushed around these halls because of your sexuality this shit has been happening for years. So be proud of who you are and don't let assholes like…"
"Winston Haynes" He adds.
"Like Winston Haynes make you feel small" I finish what practically sounded like a lecture and Tom saw smiling goofily.
"You are not what I expected Anna,"
"Oh I'm nothing people expect"
This bonding moment was rudely interrupted by the ringing of the bell. Student rush to their class and Tom and I decide to too.
"Thanks for that Anna, I really needed that" he smiles, slowly walking in the other direction than me.
"No problem, If you need any more advice, I live with you so," I joke as I finally reach my class. At least I made another friend.