As Rachel walked down the halls of McKinley High that Monday morning, she had her head down, and was deep in thought. What kept replaying through the back of her mind was how bizarre Quinn behaved toward her this past Friday evening at Puck's party, and then afterwards. The party is already three days removed and she still can't stop thinking about it. And, she's slightly terrified of running into Santana Lopez today, because of what transpired that night.
She remembers being surprised when she got invited to the party by Puck, who had come up to her after glee.
With a smirk on his lips, and raised eyebrows, he says, "Make sure you come to my party tonight, my little Jewish Princess." "I'll personally make sure you have a good time!" Then he winks at her and walks out the door.
While she was secretly thrilled to get a personal invite from Puck to one of his parties, which were supposedly really wild and fun, she was not too keen on going. After all, nothing good has ever come from her being around their small group of Glee Cheerios while they've been drinking, especially Quinn Fabray and Santana. So, for this reason, she usually steers clear of these parties on the rare occasion that she does get invited.
But that night, she decides to go, and once arrived, she rang the doorbell. It never occurs to her that people don't usually ring the doorbell at one of Puck's parties, they just go on in, but she shows her manners. And to her surprise, Quinn answered the door.
Rachel was dressed that night at Kurt's insisting, in a little black dress that hugged her curves perfectly. It was very tasteful but still showed off her long legs. Even Rachel had to admit the dress made her look sexy. She had this paired with some open toed black wedges. She also had on smoky eyeshadow, to highlight her brown eyes. She had her hair straightened out, and pulled over her left shoulder. She even had a matching black clutch, all Kurt's doing. And speaking of Kurt, he and Blain were already inside the party, as he'd texted her five times asking when she was coming.
All Rachel really wanted to do was make a quick appearance. She had planned to greet most of her fellow Glee members, including Kurt, Tina, and Finn, and then leave back out the door. She wanted to leave before people, namely Quinn and Santana, could become overly intoxicated, and give her a harder time than usual. But, as her bad luck would have it, there Quinn stood in the doorway, unmoving, and blatantly staring her down. She felt completely unnerved standing there waiting patiently to be let into Puck's house. In fact, she was so unnerved, she almost bolted back down the walkway to her car. Those few moments felt like ages.
Quinn just stood silently, looking at her. She almost seemed angry, and Rachel could barely make eye contact. She did, however, manage a shy "Hello Quinn," face turning red, and brown eyes not fully meeting green.
Now Rachel was already on edge, but what made matters worse was seeing Santana peek her head around the door and then come stand next to Quinn in the doorway.
"Well, well, well! Look what the cat dragged in! It's Manhands all dressed up!" Santana was practically yelling. "Where do you think you're going RuPaul! Go back to your drag race, cause we don't want you here!"
Rachel's face lit up like a Christmas tree, and she immediately ducked her head and averted her eyes. She could tell Santana had already been drinking because she could smell it on her breath as she towered over her. Santana moved even closer, flailing her hands, and yelling obscenities at Rachel, forcing her to back up a few steps.
All the while this was happening, Quinn still hadn't moved or said anything. She just continued to stare at her.
All Rachel could think to blurt out was, "P-Puck asked me to come, and K-Kurt made me wear this dress!" But, even as she said it, she had begun to lose her nerve.
At this point, Kurt, Mercedes, and Brittany must have heard Santana yelling at Rachel because they suddenly appeared at the door. But the little courage that brought Rachel to the party in the first place was now gone. She shook her head and rushed out an "I'm sorry" before promptly turning and running back to her car. Within moments, she had found her keys, started the ignition, and drove away.
Rachel cried all the way home. She was feeling so sorry for herself, and at times she was crying so hard, she could barely see the road. A few times, she almost got into a car accident. Once she got to her house, she ran straight up to her room, even though her fathers were out until late that night. She didn't want to talk or deal with anyone, so she turned her phone off. She got undressed, completed her nightly routine, then climbed under her covers and tried her hardest to sleep. She was in for a long night of tossing and turning.
She still felt overwhelmed because with just a few harsh words, Santana was able to reduce her to nothing. Tonight was different for her because she usually can handle the onslaught of bullying that the Cheerios brought her way. She had always truly thought of herself as better than them, knowing that they were probably jealous of her talent. But constantly being pushed around, and called vile names, and being told you're a Lima loser, and being slushied everyday takes a toll on a person. It was finally wearing her down, and she was just about at her breaking point.
Unbeknownst to Rachel, at Puck's house five neighborhoods away, Santana was getting chastised by most of the glee club, including Brittany. And by the end of the night, Santana and Brittany weren't speaking. She was officially in the doghouse. While Quinn, on the other hand, had been stoic and quiet for the rest of the night.
Once everyone at the party had heard what happened to Rachel, most of them were not really in the party mood. Even Mike Chang, who never really talks much, said to Tina, "I hope Rachel is alright."
It seems that most of the Glee club truly cares about Rachel, even if they tend to not show it during practices, or really anywhere else on school grounds. They all liked to think of themselves as a family, even if dysfunctional.
That next day, Rachel got up early after having barely slept, and started her Saturday morning routine. Working out on her elliptical always made her feel like she could face the day. This morning, it didn't have that same charm but it did help a little. She had a full schedule of dance lessons, piano lessons, and uploading of her latest music videos to MySpace.
She decided to forgo uploading the videos, since there were mostly negative comments on all her other videos anyway. It seems people just didn't appreciate her talent, so she figures, why reward them with more? She knows she's feeling more apathetic than usual but for once, she just doesn't care! She's tired of people constantly putting her and her musical talents down! She knows she's way better than anyone else in this town and she can't wait to go out into the world and show them! New York and Broadway couldn't come soon enough! All Rachel has to do is survive senior year. But she covers her face with her hands and mutters to herself, " Who am I kidding?" She thought about the fact that it was only the first weekend of the school year, and she was already struggling.
She was grateful that Kurt, and Finn, and Tina were at least not afraid to be seen talking to her at school. But truthfully, they were more like close acquaintances than good friends. She has no one that she is really close to. She knows that sometimes she's exasperating to the kids in glee, especially when fighting for her beloved solos. But she had hoped to have connected fully with someone by senior year, and she was fairly lonely. It seems that no one was interested in her romantically either, so her prospects looked bleak. She just hoped to make it through till graduation. She had her applications all completed, and ready to be mailed to several colleges in New York. She couldn't wait to land her big debut on Broadway! Soon enough she will be travelling to "The Big Apple," the city where all her dreams will come true.
As per usual, the weekend was passing by too quickly for her liking. She had just remembered to turn her phone back on that Sunday evening and was bombarded with at least a dozen messages from other glee members. She smiled and was glad to see that people did seem to care about her. But all of those messages paled in comparison to the last one. This message blew her mind because according to her logic, it could have only come from one person:
Kurt: Rachel why aren't you picking up your phone?! Call me ASAP!
Mercedes: Rachel girl, I'm sorry. That crazy ass Santana knows she ain't right! That girl is a hot mess!
Kurt: Rachel, I'm so sorry she said all those hateful things to you. You didn't deserve that!
Kurt: And I'm pissed at you too by the way! I put a lot of work into that outfit, and you didn't get to show it off!
Kurt: You looked gorgeous, by the way!
Brittany: Rach I'm sorry San said all those bad things to u :-(. I made her promise not to do it again or she won't be gettin any special lady kisses for a long long time k :-)
Tina: Hi Rachel. I hope you're ok.
Finn: Hey Rach you ok? I was looking forward to hanging out tonight. Do you want me to come by?
Puck: Where you at my Jewish Princess?
Kurt: You can come back now. Brittany took Satan home. Please come back so you can hang out with me and Blaine!
Kurt: Finn looks sad you're not coming :-(
Mercedes: Girl, most of us are leaving, will you please call this boy back so he stops buggin me!
Tina: We missed you at the party Rachel.
Kurt: Brittany and Satan were fighting over what she did to you and Brittany wouldn't talk to her! Haha! I'd never seen Satan pout like that! Seriously though, she looked pissed before she left!
Unknown: Rachel you looked really pretty tonight.
She can't seem to think of anyone else that the last message would have come from but Quinn. She'd never had Quinn's phone number because she was always too afraid to ask. And if she did ask, Rachel was sure she would have been laughed at and rejected. But it was mind boggling that Quinn Fabray not only had her phone number, but that she would also send her a text message. The short message on her phone screen was one of the nicest things anyone has ever said to her. She was so thrilled by it, that she read the message over and over.
But she was thoroughly confused as well because Quinn hated her, and she made it obvious to both Rachel and the whole school everyday. Some of the most foul names Rachel has ever been called came from the mouth of Quinn Fabray, and this usually in a crowded hallway or other such place at school.
In fact, she found out just last year, that all the daily slushies that get thrown on her at school came at the order of Quinn Fabray. And it seems that Santana, as her right hand, has been all too happy to carry out those orders.
Rachel has never understood why she had incurred Quinn's wrath. She does not remember ever interacting with Quinn before high school. To the best of her knowledge, Rachel has never been unkind, or hurt Quinn.
She has never stolen her boyfriend, although Quinn and Finn did brake up last year, but that had nothing to do with Rachel. And though she appreciates Finn's friendship, her interactions with him have been strictly friendly and professional as glee co-captains.
But yet, she has been bullied and victimized by the Cheerios and jocks everyday since she started at McKinley. To know that most of it was because of Quinn, hurt a lot when she first found out, because Rachel had thought that she and Quinn were coming to some kind of mutual understanding when the blond joined glee her sophomore year. Rachel stayed out of her way, in hopes that the Head Cheerio would be less mean, while continuing to act like she doesn't exist. Apparently it didn't matter at all that Rachel tried to stay out of her way. Quinn it seems, purposefully sought Rachel out, just to taunt and make fun of her. And if she wasn't doing it, one of her many henchmen were.
As she walks through the halls that Monday morning, it does finally occur to Rachel that someone other than Quinn could have sent that text message. Of course, she would be very disappointed if it was someone else because she had worked herself up to believe that just maybe, Quinn didn't hate her as much anymore. Maybe senior year would be the year that Quinn Fabray finally grows up, and Rachel Barbera Berry can finally gain some real and true friends.
Her cautious optimism was hanging on by threads. She wanted to talk to Quinn about the text message, but didn't know if she could muster up the courage. And if she did find the courage to approach the Head Cheerio, what would she say?
Rachel never got the chance to think further on the topic because she was suddenly grabbed by the arm and forced into the nearest classroom. She looked up into the fiery eyes of the one person she was hoping to avoid today. She audibly gulped as she looked around the empty classroom at everything except the person who was in front of her.
Santana quickly grabbed and turned Rachel's chin so she would look at her.
"Look midget! I'm not gonna waste my fucking breath apologizing to you!" She spat. "You just caught me on a bad night that's all! But B won't even talk to me unless I apologize, so you're gonna tell her next period that I said sorry to you!"
Santana glares directly into Rachel's eyes now. Her face so close, Rachel can feel her breath as she speaks. "And if you don't, I swear to God I will make your life a living hell!" "You don't want me going all Lima Heights Adjacent on your ass, trust me!"
She released her hold on Rachel's chin and stormed out the door. Rachel just stood there looking at the empty doorway. She couldn't move. She was stunned. She was so tired of being treated like the dirt under everyone's shoes. She raked her hands over her face to try and compose herself. As she finally went out the door, she puffed out a breath, dreading going to second period.
So, when the bell rang at the end of first period, Rachel was moving at a snails pace. Not only did she have English next period with Brittany, she also shared that class with Quinn too. And God help her if Quinn decided to harass her in class, because she just couldn't take anymore! She was at her breaking point, and she sighed because it was obviously going to be a very long day.
