Chibi-Kari: I should be writing my personal statement for my PhD application, but I'm not...so you all should be excited for this chapter! I don't own, but I still love feedback more than anything else. This chapter marks a turning point and don't worry Kurt will be back and changes will happen. Happy New Years (early)!

Chapter 4

"Why the hell would you go to the principal?" Mercedes sneered at Quinn who was still looking towards the door Puck had pulled Rachel through. They could still hear Rachel screaming words that no one had been aware she even knew.

"Why wouldn't I? After everything that happened yesterday. No one did anything and it was time for someone to." Quinn replied with a shrug as she strode to the chairs.

"Bull shit, Q. This is all about your power! You wanted to be HBIC and undisputed leader of the Cheerios. You've never done a thing for someone else in your entire life! I know you. And you're one loco bitch." Santana sneered as she stood up.

"Kids." Miss Holiday raised her hands. The room was getting out of control and she had to admit that if anyone had a bad attitude it was obviously the Latina.

"One second, Ms. H. I think the entire club needs a reality check and I'm going to give it to them." Quinn raised her hand. "First of all, Satan, this has nothing to do with you and me. If it did you'd still be on the team and I would be torturing you the legal way. I had nothing to do with you losing your spot on the team. Cheering isn't your life. Popularity is all you want. I think your boob job shows that and if anyone is pathetic it's you."

"How am I pathetic?" Santana sneered as she flicked her hair over her shoulder. "People fear me. People respect me."

Quinn raised an eyebrow. "They won't fear you anymore and no one respects you. No one ever has. And how you're pathetic? That one's easy. Take a look at how you went after Finn. Look at how you treated Rachel. She was there for you last year at Sectionals. Forgot about that? Rachel has been there for each of us."

"To take our solos." Mercedes mumbled.

Quinn's eyes flashed. "No. To support each and every one of you. Yes, she was demanding, but she was always there when someone fell to pick them back up. When everything went down with babygate she was there."

"She was the one that told!" Mercedes argued back.

"And she was right to. And I told her that the same day. She had the backbone that I didn't. She did what I was afraid to do and she did it for me not for her." There were several sounds of protest, but Quinn raised her hand again. "It had nothing to do with her wanting Finn. It was about the entire situation. Rachel thinks of things as fair and unfair. She did something great for me and gave me a strength and a voice when I wasn't willing to speak. So what I did for her today was the same thing. I gave her a voice when her's was silenced."

"She's never had a problem staying silent before?" Artie mumbled slightly. He could see what Quinn was saying, but he didn't want to. He didn't want to understand what Puck's glances at Rachel meant. He didn't want to notice her silence. Maybe everyone else didn't see it, but he simply didn't want to.

"Really? How many times has she bent for us? And how many times have we bent for her?" Quinn looked at the boy. He was gripping Brit's hand tightly. She had a feeling he had noticed, at least because of Puck. "And what's she loud about? What does she complain about? What do any of you know about her?"

"What's there to know?" Tina asked quietly. "She has two gay dads and dreams of being on Broadway."

"And do you know what she did for Christmas?" Quinn asked in response.

"Spent it with her family like everyone else?" Sam didn't pretend to know her, but it was logical.

Quinn shook her head slightly. "She spent Christmas Eve with Kurt and Christmas day alone."

"Jewish people don't need Christmas." Santana crossed her arms.

"Everyone needs Santa." Brit mumbled quietly. "Did he even bring her a present?"

This wasn't how Quinn hoped. She wasn't sure what she was expecting, but this wasn't it. Everyone was so quick to rally around everyone except Rachel. It was sick and she had been a part of that. Everyone had been a part of that except Puck. Now she was on the other side she couldn't believe it. She turned before making it to the actual chairs and taking a seat. "Ms. H, I think I'll be leaving, too."

Ms. Holiday shook her head slightly. "That doesn't seem like a good idea."

Quinn smiled wryly. "It probably isn't, but maybe it'll help. At this point it's all I can do." She shook her head slightly grabbing her bag from the floor. "And you all say Rachel is selfish."

Rachel had been fuming about two feet from him as soon as he dropped her on her ass on the cold bleachers.

"You gunna talk to me, Berry?" Puck grunted slightly as he slid next to her. His feet were cold and wet from the snow and he was sure that she was freezing without her coat, but this was their place.

"What is with everyone trying to talk to me? First Quinn. Then Kurt. Now you. No one wanted to talk to me before so why is it different now? You all waited until after Santana announced the truth to everyone and now you all care. You didn't care before. No one did."

"Shit, Rach. You know that isn't true. None of that is true. Kurt's cared for awhile. I've cared for longer and Quinn just never realized." He wasn't eloquent and he wasn't sure what she wanted to hear. He was actually starting to think she didn't want to hear anything at all. She was defeated and he knew that feeling all too well. There came a point where you realized you had to pick yourself off the ground and it hurt. Rachel helped pick him off the ground and he wanted to do the same for her. "You've been there for all of us. Let us be there for you."

Rachel crossed her arms. "I'm fine."

Puck couldn't stop the anger from boiling. "Like hell! You are the farthest thing from fine that I've seen in a long time! You got a raw deal, Rach. You've got a shit life and you're just rolling over. Fight back! You used to fight back and now you won't."

Rachel's head snapped up and Puck was a little relieved to see some of the fight return to her eyes. "And why should I? Huh, Puck?" He flinched slightly when she called him Puck. "I fight for something and everyone just turns away. I offer myself over and over again and get nothing. Nothing! People just use me and leave!"

He shook his head slightly. "Rachel, please listen to me. This whole new attitude is a bad decision and I'm the king of those. I can see them from a hundred miles away. There are people there that want you for you and not to just use you. Kurt. Me. Hell, Quinn."

"Kurt?" Rachel scoffed.

"Yes and you know that so stop pulling this crap. Don't you think if he was using you he would have been friends in glee club? No. He's friends now because he's wants to be your friend. Don't even pretend otherwise because you know that for a fact." He suddenly felt tired. He could see what was going on. Hell, they grew up in religion classes together. He knew her story he could see how she felt and she was justified. He never understood how her parents treated her, but part of that was because his mom was crazy about his life. Her parents cared for how she made them look. It was a little sick, but she had acted like it was okay for so long that they didn't have a problem with it. They were too blind to see what it was doing to the little girl that he knew they loved.

Rachel shook her head slightly. She had wanted this so long ago, but now it seemed too little too late. "Noah…I can't do this anymore." She didn't know what to do anymore. She didn't know how to fix her life…how to fix herself.

He nodded slightly as he threw his arm around her and pulled her into his side. He had done this with his little sister during the time she was being bullied, but it had never been like this. He had never had to do this with someone outside of his family. He was as out of his element as she was. "I know. But you're not doing it alone. Let us do it for awhile."

She shook her head slightly. "You'll leave. Everyone leaves."

"We won't." Puck jumped slightly as Quinn climbed the bleachers with their coats in her hand. "I want to be there. Puck wants to be there. Kurt will be there. Let us in. Let us help."

Rachel watched her warily. "How'd you get my coat? It was in my locker."

Quinn threw the coats at Puck and turned away slightly. "Remember those notes in your locker last year…well yeah that was me."

Rachel laughed slightly. "Some of those were rather creative."

Quinn turned back around her eyes wide. "I'm so sorry about that. I didn't think about it. I was so angry. I was just so angry and I wanted to hurt other people. You were so confident-"

Rachel raised her hand. "Please. I just don't want to talk about this. I don't want explanations." She laughed slightly again. "You think I would. I used to imagine asking you why you chose me to torture. You made my life hell and for so long I wanted to know why. But now I don't. I don't. Just please."

Quinn nodded. She probably couldn't give Rachel a good answer anyway. Not an answer that would take away all of the pain she inflicted. She watched Puck let go of Rachel to put on his coat and help her put on hers before pulling the smaller girl back into his half hug. She took the last few steps and sat down next to Rachel. Right now this was all she could do.