Quinn was leaning against the wall just outside the main entrance to McKinley, waiting for Finn to come outside. She'd spent the last period in relative ease, she wasn't nervous or apprehensive about this; it was what she wanted. Finn stepped out the door and looked around before spotting Quinn and smiling hesitantly.
"Hey babe" he greeted.
"Hi" Quinn said with a surprisingly large smile. She was sure people weren't meant to feel this sort of relief before breaking up with their long term boyfriend.
"What did you wanna talk about?" he asked after a few moments of silence.
"Finn... I think we should break up." Quinn said hesitantly. The quarterback's face instantly fell, Quinn felt a small pang of guilt but knew she was doing the right thing, she decided she should probably explain herself. "I don't love you Finn and I don't want to string you along anymore."
"What do you mean; anymore?" He asked in confusion. Finn thought she'd loved him. What if he loved her? Quinn's heart quickly sank; this made matters a little harder.
"I mean... I don't love you Finn. I should have ended it sooner. I'm sorry." She said feeling sorry for the boy, she'd thought he didn't really care about her that much, it certainly seemed that way at the party. Finn looked slightly lost to say the least. His face was considerably paler than usual and he looked even more bemused.
"I... Why did you let me...?" He trailed off. Quinn felt even more guilt at the fact that she'd used him so much; first as a means to cement her place at the top and then to clear her head, so to speak.
"I don't know... I thought if we... did it, then I'd love you. Or something like that." It was the truth. Finn's face fell even more.
"Oh, ok then." Finn was staring at the ground in front of his huge feet. Quinn reached out and took his hand forcing him to look up into her eyes.
"I really am sorry Finn." She said earnestly, she was sorry for everything she'd done, sleeping with Puck, using him and shaping him into something he wasn't. She squeezed his hand before letting it drop to his side as she walked back into the building. Finn stood looking sadly after his now ex-girlfriend, he thought things were going well.
Quinn walked away, she didn't know where to only that she wouldn't go to the cafeteria, she didn't want to have to put back on her HBIC cold front and pretend anymore but she wasn't ready to start being herself in front of all the Cheerios just yet. She wandered to her locker and retrieved her small lunch before walking to the choir room to eat.
The room was empty when she entered which made her slightly disappointed though she didn't want to admit it. She sat down on one of the chairs on the small bleachers at the back of the room and opened the paper bag in her hands. The bag was practically empty, she had a small box of grapes and a low sugar, low fat granola bar and of course a bottle of water. She opened the granary bar and began to eat it; the Cheerios diet was probably the worst thing about being on the team. They ate less than a small mammal and yet exercised more than anyone else in the school; she was surprised more people didn't collapse during practice; it was probably the fear of being off the squad for showing weakness.
She had just taken another bite of her cardboard lunch when the door opened and Rachel entered, she seemed pretty agitated and began pacing the room with a hand on her forehead. Quinn raised an eyebrow but Rachel continued on pacing, she clearly thought she was alone as she began to mumble to herself.
"Berry?" Quinn asked after a minute of pacing. Rachel immediately span around and saw Quinn staring curiously at her. She stopped pacing and began to blush.
"What are you doing her Quinn?" she asked slightly frostily, the coldness surprised Quinn.
"I'm eating lunch." Rachel's eyebrows shot up.
"Why aren't you in the canteen with the other cheerleaders?" she asked with obvious intrigue. Quinn shrugged.
"I guess I wanted some peace." Rachel seemed satisfied with the answer and wrapped her arms around herself going back to the agitated state she was in just moments ago. "What's up with you anyway?" Quinn asked. Rachel sighed and looked back up at Quinn.
"I guess I wanted some peace as well." She said after a while. "I heard that you and Finn broke up." Quinn's eyebrows rose.
"How'd you hear about that? It only happened ten minutes ago." She knew news travelled quickly but not quite that quickly. It was Rachel's turn to shrug as she unwrapped herself from her arms.
"News travels fast, especially when it's news about McKinley's resident power couple." She spoke half-heartedly as she acknowledged her own social status making Quinn's heart ache.
"It wasn't all it was cracked up to be you know Berry." She said, trying to console the girl.
"Yeah, I can see that being popular and influential would be such a burden. Having any guy you want and a squad of girls to defend you must be so hard." Rachel spat surprising Quinn, her eyebrows rose unconsciously. She'd never thought Rachel would actually envy her position, Quinn always thought Rachel was the luckier one. Well obviously being slushied and picked on wasn't great but at least she wasn't under constant scrutiny from everyone. Her eyebrows furrowed.
"It's not like that Rachel." Quinn replied honestly, the diva's face softened as she heard Quinn using her name. "I feel like everything I do is for someone else's benefit, not because I want to do it." Quinn looked sincerely at her. "I actually envy you sometimes you know?" Rachel actually scoffed at her comment.
"Why would you, Quinn Fabray, envy me?" She asked incredulously.
"You don't pretend to be something you're not, you just are and if we don't like that then you don't care. You've known exactly what you wanted since you were what, two? You're ridiculously talented and you're parents actually love you. What isn't there for me to be jealous of?" Quinn had been slightly more truthful than she would have liked but it was worth it after she saw the ludicrously large smile that grew on Rachel's face, Quinn couldn't help but smile back.
"Thanks." Rachel said blushing slightly.
"Anytime," Quinn said with a smirk. Rachel shook her head slightly. "What?" Quinn asked after taking a final bite from her granola bar.
"I just can't believe I'm talking to the same Quinn, I mean you haven't compared me to a transsexual or attempted to trip me up. You even complimented me earlier, are you feeling ok?" she asked light-heartedly however the truth in her words hit Quinn hard and caused the rock of guilt to drop back into the pit of her stomach. She looked away from Rachel, her face turning remorseful. Rachel regretted her joke as she saw Quinn's face fall, she was about to comfort her before Quinn looked back up at her with piercingly honest eyes.
"I really am sorry Rachel. I didn't mean anything I said to you, I just did it because that's what everyone expected of me and I know that's not a good enough excuse, there can't really ever be an excuse for what I've done to you but please just know that if I could take it back then I would. I don't want to hurt you again; you know you never deserved it and so did I; I was just too cowardly to do what was right and stick up for you but I will from now on. Just please know that I'm sorry, for everything." Her eyes were slightly glossed with tears at the truth in her words. She put the finished granola wrapper into her lunch bag and stood to leave without looking at Rachel. Just as she was about to exit the room Rachel called out to her.
"I forgive you" Quinn stopped and turned back to face Rachel.
"I don't expect you to Rachel, you shouldn't forgive me, I wouldn't forgive me if I was in your shoes." she said with conviction. Rachel stepped towards her forcing Quinn to make eye contact.
"I want to forgive you." She said with a smile forcing Quinn to give a small yet honest smile in response. Rachel did want to forgive Quinn, she didn't like to hold grudges, life was too short and anyway, if what Quinn had said was true then she'd have a friend, someone who actually wanted to look out for her and not because they were obliged to and that had to be worth any amount of forgiveness.
"Thanks" Quinn said quietly after a few minutes of comfortable silence. The bell rang shattering their peace. "Well, I best go to English. See you in Glee." Quinn said making a slow move towards the door, opening it for Rachel and herself. The brunette walked out the door.
"Thanks see you in Glee." She said happily, walking away down the corridor. Quinn smiled after her, feeling a lot lighter than she had in months. She sucked in another breath and headed to her locker to put away her lunch and get her books for next period with a genuine smile plastered on her face.
Quinn was one of the first people in to Glee which was unusual; she was even earlier than Rachel who was actually the second last person into the room. A gloomy Finn trailed behind her. Rachel smiled at her as she entered and took her usual place at the front of the class, their little interaction didn't go unnoticed and Santana raised her eyebrow and quirked her head to the side.
"Seriously Q, what's going on with you and Rupaul?" She asked with cold confusion. Quinn gave her a glare as she answered.
"Stop calling her that!" she berated.
"No, what do you care what I call Treasure Trail?"
"I just don't see the point in being mean to her anymore I mean what's she ever done to us?" Quinn responded getting increasingly more annoyed. Santana's eyebrows rose in shock.
"It doesn't matter what she'd done it's just what happens. She's the bottom; we're the top, it's just life." The phrase was familiar to Quinn, she'd used the excuse many times to hold back any guilt but it was as weak as most of the Cheerio's test results.
"Well I don't want to live like that anymore." Quinn shot back. Santana shook her head in disbelief but was stopped from making any further comments as Mr. Schue set them to rehearsing some more.
Throughout the practice Finn kept giving her longing and dejected looks. At first Quinn felt slightly guilty but after an hour of it she'd had enough and was glad that practice was over for the day. The boy would get the message soon enough and then he'd probably be snapped up by some other aspiring socialite, the thought didn't fill Quinn with any sort of jealousy at all in fact it made her feel slightly better about herself.
"See you tomorrow Quinn." Rachel waved as she left the classroom. Quinn gave her a warm smile. Yes she was definitely feeling better about herself after today she thought as she left the room.
Her parents arrived home at 8 as usual and dinner was prepared for 8.30 as it was every night. Her parents were onto their second drink of the evening and conversation was following much the same pattern as usual, Quinn didn't speak unless spoken to as she was expected and her father rattled on about whatever business deal he had secured today. Her mother was as indulgent as ever to her father's dull conversation, their interactions annoyed Quinn to say the least, her mum shouldn't be so submissive, Russell practically walked over her and all she did was make puppy eyes at him and pour herself another drink.
"So Quinn, did you invite that Finn boy you're dating over to dinner this week? I'd like to meet him, see if he's good enough for us Fabray's." Quinn had to repress a laugh at her father's words, it was comical the way he regarded himself.
"Um, actually daddy, we broke up." Quinn said without a note of sadness in her voice. Her father raised his eyebrows and Quinn swore she saw concern flash in her mother's eyes before she took another sip of her drink.
"You broke up? Why?" Russell asked, well demanded.
"Yes, it just wasn't working out I suppose." Quinn answered looking down at her dinner plate, she really didn't want to get into a conversation about her personal life with her father.
"Well, it's probably for the best anyway, I heard his mother worked at Wal-Mart." Russell stated as though that justified everything. Quinn actually felt embarrassed for her father at this moment and couldn't stop the bubble of anger that rose at his unsympathetic words.
"What difference does it make where his mum works?" Quinn snapped back causing both Russell and Judy to look at her in shock. Her father's shock quickly turned into anger.
"I didn't ask for your opinion Quinn! What do you think it looks having my daughter date the son of Supermarket clerk? Remember you're a Fabray, not some common Hudman or whatever his name was!" Her father said sternly causing Quinn's blood to boil.
"Hudson, his name is Hudson!" she shouted getting up from the table and throwing down her napkin for effect "I'm so sick of this!" she yelled walking towards the door.
"Quinn!" Her mother berated but Quinn just carried on walking away before she could say something she would regret in the morning when she'd wake up on Santana's sofa. She clenched her fists to try and calm her increasingly heating blood.
"Get back her Quinn! You don't ignore you mother like that!" Her father was yelling as she ascended the stairs and made her way into her room. Her parents were unbelievably shallow, she wondered if she could have actually carried on living like them for the rest of her life, deluding herself as to what success truly was, what happiness actually felt like. She couldn't imagine it and so she was glad she'd chosen to escape while she could.
A/N: Thanks for the response last time, the votes were really in favour of a not pregnant Quinn so I guess that's the way we're going, there were some convincing arguments for pregnant Quinn and I was very tempted but I'll keep it democratic and so Quinn's remaining childless for the moment. Anyway, reviews are always appreciated as usual and I have another Question:
Do you want some Finn/Quinn rivalry over Rachel or not?
I do enjoy writing a bit of jealousy and arguing so I'm all up for it but if you're not then what would you suggest instead? I'm intrigued so please review and tell me and I'll do my best to write it for you! Ok, long authors note, I'll go now, thanks for reading and I can't wait to hear you're thoughts.