A/N: Hello all! Here's chapter two! Enjoy!
Disclaimer: I do not own Glee, I do not own Adele's music and I do not own Mr Hudson's music.
Quinn walked slowly down the scarlet locker-covered halls of McKinley High School, watching the backs of Rachel and Finn as they strolled along, blissfully unaware of her. They weren't holding hands. They weren't even talking to each other. They just walked together in a pleasantly awkward silence, hesitantly casting looks at one another. They couldn't be any more obvious if they tried.
Quinn knew that her time with Finn was over. She supposed it was over long before the school year had even begun. After she'd broken his heart last year, it was no small wonder that he'd taken her back. But the damage had already been done.
And then there was Rachel.
Quinn had never paid much attention to the self-proclaimed star of the Glee club. But once she began professing her love for Finn at every possible opportunity, Quinn found herself in a constant battle for the boy's attention.
You say
It's all in my head
And the things that I think
They don't make sense
So where've you been, then?
Don't go all coy.
Don't turn it 'round on me like it's my fault.
Quinn was well aware of the fact that Finn had feelings for the brunette. Anyone with eyes and half a brain could figure it out. But, time after time, Finn would vehemently deny having anything more than platonic feelings her.
Quinn wasn't the slightest bit convinced. After all, she saw the stolen glances and shy smiles that the two shared when they thought she wasn't looking.
See I can see
That look in your eyes
The one that shoots me each and every time
Quinn sighed as she continued to walk down the hallway. Finn was apparently walking Rachel to her English class because they came to a stop at one of the classroom doors. Rachel looked up at Finn with her big brown eyes and smiled at him as she said something that made him laugh slightly and blush. He rubbed the back of his neck as they bid farewell and he continued on to his locker.
You graze me with your cold shoulders
Whenever you look at me I wish I was her
You shower me with words made of knives
Whenever you look at me I wish I was her
Quinn wanted to be mad at him. She really did. She wanted to storm over to his locker, slam it shut and demand to know what they were talking about. She wanted to yell at him for walking Rachel to class instead of walking with her, his girlfriend. Quinn wanted to hit him for paying more attention to the hobbit diva than to her, the prettiest and most popular girl in school.
But she didn't do any of those things. Deep down, Quinn knew that this would happen eventually. She knew that Finn wouldn't return her feelings the way he once did. She just wasn't ready for it to happen so soon, and with such an intensity. Quinn was sure that if she weren't still fighting to save her and Finn's relationship, he and Rachel would already have baby names picked out.
So, instead of humiliating herself and Finn in the middle of a crowded hallway, the blonde walked up to her boyfriend's locker.
"Hey."
Finn dropped half of his books and looked around wildly, startled by Quinn's quiet approach.
"Oh, hey! I didn't see you there," Finn explained once he straightened.
'I know,' Quinn thought sadly.
"Did you want to come over to my house after school today? We haven't seen each other much lately and I wanted to change that." Quinn looked up at her boyfriend through her eyelashes as her fingers lightly played across his chest.
But Finn wasn't looking at her. He'd stopped stuffing his bag when he saw a small pink piece of stationary sticking out from one of his notebooks.
"Uh, sure. That sounds great." Finn answered her absentmindedly as he stared at the little piece of paper.
These days
When I see you
You make it look like I'm see-through
Quinn recognized it immediately as one that came from the obnoxiously pink planner that Rachel carried around. The loopy handwriting on the paper only confirmed her suspicions.
Quinn huffed with frustration and Finn looked alarmed as she snatched the paper from his notebook. After quickly scanning the pages and finding that it was a list of cheesy love songs that Rachel suggested for her and Finn's duet, Quinn angrily shoved it back into Finn's hands.
"Alright, that's it," Quinn slammed Finn's locker shut, ignoring his protests of not having all of his books, and dragged him into a nearby empty classroom.
After shutting the door with more force than was necessary, Quinn turned to Finn to see him standing nervously next to one of the desks,
Do tell me why
You waste our time
When your heart ain't in it and you're not satisfied
"Alright, I get it. You like Rachel." Upon seeing Finn's mouth open to deny her statement, Quinn held up her hand to stop him. "Don't even bother telling me that you don't because you and I both know that's a lie. Or do you mean to tell me that you think singing "No Air" with her and walking her to class is strictly platonic?" By the end of her rant, Quinn was almost shrieking. The blonde girl took a deep breath and composed herself before she continued speaking.
You know I know
Just how you feel
I'm starting to find myself feeling that way too
"Look, Finn. We can't keep doing this. I see the way you two are around each other. You two are the way the two of us should be. You actually look happy with her and it's killing me. I know I don't always show it and I haven't been the best girlfriend, but I really do love you, Finn. And I really can't keep standing idly by while you continue to break my heart."
Finn stood in a stunned silence as he tried to choose his words carefully. When he spoke, he forced himself to meet his girlfriend's tired and defeated gaze.
"Okay, maybe you're right. I guess I do like Rachel," Quinn snorted at that. "But I swear none of this was on purpose. I just figured…that maybe we could still make things work between us and that my feelings for her would pass. I mean, I still love you, Quinn. I'm not going to pretend that things haven't changed between us, but I never meant to hurt you like this." Finn walked across the classroom and gently touched her shoulder.
When you graze me with your cold shoulder
Whenever you look at me I wish I was her
You shower me with words made of knives
Whenever you look at me I wish I was her
Quinn let the barest hint of a smile flit across her features. She could have forgiven him right then and there. She could have kissed him sweetly and told him that it was okay and that they didn't have anything to worry about. She could have walked out of that room with him, arms linked, looking at each other with a newfound love. But she didn't.
Every time she'd confronted Finn about Rachel, it was just a constant stream of accusations being thrown back and forth. 'You don't pay me any attention's and 'You don't even love me's being hurled at each other. Never before has Quinn given the real reason for her constant irritability. They would just argue, make up and move on. This time, they would do no such thing.
Time and time I played the role of fool
Just for you
Even in the daylight when you came in
I don't see you
Tried to look for things I hear
But our eyes never find
Though I do know how you play
She looked up into Finn's warm brown eyes and remembered a time when they used to be filled with so much love for her. She remembered when she was the one who could bring that silly little half smile to his face. She remembered a time when he would walk her to class and make sure to sit next to her in Glee Club.
But now, his eyes were only filled with the kind of love that one reserves for close friends and family. Sure, Finn might still love her. But he wasn't in love with her. Well, not anymore.
"I think we should break up."
Finn's eyes widened at the sudden statement. Though, when he took the next few seconds to really think about it, perhaps it wasn't so sudden. After all, he did just confess to having feelings for another girl.
"Uh…" Very eloquent, Hudson.
"You don't have to say anything. We both knew this would happen eventually. One of us would have ended it. I just think it's easier this way, so you don't have to keep stringing me along and forcing yourself to stay in this farce of a relationship."
Quinn quickly wiped away a tear before it could fall and smiled up at Finn sadly.
"Look at the bright side; now you can go and be with her." Again, Finn was mildly shocked. Of all of the things Quinn could have said to him as she broke up with him, that was the absolute last thing that would have been on the list.
"But what about you?"
Quinn shook her head at her ex-boyfriend's needless concern.
"I'll be fine."
Squeezing his shoulder in parting, Quinn swiftly picked up her backpack and walked out of the classroom. As she walked down the hallway, the bell rang to signal the end of the class period. When she stopped at her locker, she looked back down the hall and saw Finn waiting outside of Rachel's class looking as though he wasn't sure whether he should be happy or sad. However, his quandary was solved for him when Rachel emerged. Finn's face lit up immediately.
You grace me with your cold shoulder
Whenever you look at me I wish I was her
You shower me with words made of knives
Whenever you look at me I wish I was her
Before the two could start walking in Quinn's direction, she quickly closed her locker and began walking to her next class feeling lighter than she had in months.
Yes, she would be fine.
A/N: So Fuinn is no longer in the works. What does this mean for Finchel? Good, bad or indifferent, I'd love to hear your thoughts!
- Jaz