INAUGURATION
"There's no time to lose, I heard her say." Dave Karofsky sang while Quinn stood a few feet away listening and waiting until she had to join in.
Quinn wasn't sure how she had gotten to this point. Oh literally she knew. About twenty minutes ago, she and Karofsky had come to the astronomy room to practice their duet of "Ruby Tuesday." Quinn just wasn't sure how she'd fallen so far that she was designated to finding a pity partner. Because that's all this partnership was. It was two people who got stuck working together because they had no other options and didn't want to look as dumb as Artie, Lauren, and Mike had. She seems to recall it all starting with a plan. It made the most sense. Quinn planned. That was what she did. It was safe. It provided her with situational awareness, keeping her from being burned. Well no, that wasn't true. She still got burned, but she always saw it coming and was usually prepared for it. Hence the planning.
If she truly thought about it, then it all really started about three years ago when her father was promoted. The Fabrays were switching districts, and Quinn could start anew. Complete with her new identity, Quinn could be everything she was always supposed to be at this William McKinley High School. It was a simple plan made easier by McKinley's archaic society. The first thing that she, and everyone, learned was if you were a girl and wanted to be popular, then you joined the Cheerios. If you were a boy, then you joined football. There were no exceptions. So she joined the Cheerios and participated in everything that went with it. The name calling, the boy teasing, the weekend parties, the slushie laughs. And Quinn not only participated, but she was good at it. Better than most. The only allowances that she gave herself were her studies and celibacy club. She didn't care if it wasn't "cool," everyone knew the only way out of this state was an advanced education. As for the celibacy club, well, it looked good, related to her church, and it sent a message that she really didn't want to have sex yet. Besides, at that point everyone was following her lead anyway so she could pretty much get away with anything.
Cheerios was what propelled her straight to the top. Sue Sylvester had instantly taken a liking to her because of her natural skills and dedication to winning and being in control. She was a gem amongst the rubble. A young Sue Sylvester. That's how the coach referred to her and two other freshmen "gems." Coach also instantly fell in love with Santana Lopez's utter ruthlessness and Brittany S. Pierce's skills as a dancer and more importantly, her gullibility. Coach took advantage of all three of them by having them do her dirty work around the school, and in return, they were to be made captains at the end of the year once Sue's seniors left the spots vacated. It was more than a fair trade. Quinn became the equivalent of an upperclassman in the school and was given two friends. A luxury she hadn't had since elementary school. From there, the three began to plan together. Santana advised them all to get a backup supply to their cheerio popularity. In Santana's eyes, popularity was something that could be lost as quickly as it was gained.
Brittany's solution was to make out with everyone in the school. She was, like, the bestest kisser ever, and people would totally always love her if she kissed them. It'd be an honor for them. So Brittany compiled a list of all those worthy of her magical kisses. Somewhere along the line the kisses became R-rated, and the list became those she wanted to have sex with. Brittany really loved people. Santana's solution was to tie herself to Noah Puckerman. Like the Cheerios, the football team had their own freshmen stars that were thrown up to the top of the food chain. The wide receiver/linebacker "Puck" earned his reputation through his good looks, charm, and the well-known fact that he knew how to please a woman. Santana propositioned him with the hottest sex he'd ever have, and the next day everyone at McKinley knew they were together (despite the fact that they still hooked up with anyone who would walk by them). That left Quinn free to pursue McKinley's newest quarterback, the empty headed Finn Hudson.
Finn, wanting to be popular, tried out for the football team during his first week of high school. The then Coach Ken Tanaka immediately made him the starting quarterback for the all-varsity team. Not because Finn had any reputable skills whatsoever, but simply because he was tall and lanky which is what a quarterback needed to be. So Quinn spent months flirting with and filling his head with ideas of Homecoming King and Queen. He trailed after her like a little puppy, asking her out daily like she wanted him to. Finally, halfway through their second semester she agreed to his offer of courtship. Then in a flash the school paper was running an article that they were an item, their popularity was secure, and Quinn had her first boyfriend. It was perfect really. The star quarterback and soon-to-be head cheerleader. It was everything she could've asked for. Plus, Finn was safe and respectable. He'd never intentionally hurt her or screw around like his best friend did, and he was quite charming. In a very dumb way.
"Catch your dreams before they slip away."
Her life was seemingly perfect for a few months there. She had mastered the art of teasing by practicing on her boyfriend. She was now able to tune out everything he said. She was doing everything she was supposed to do, and her only plan for sophomore year was to keep up her grades and popularity. Nothing could go wrong. Someone probably should've told her about variables, and how there are some things, even in the most thought out plans, that can't be foreseen. She was not prepared for losing control over Finn. She was not prepared for him joining the glee club. She was not prepared for Sue Sylvester wanting to destroy said club. She was not prepared for her parents fighting. She was not prepared for an unscheduled fat day. She was not prepared for her boyfriend developing eyes for Rachel Berry. Even before Finn, she had never known how to prepare for Rachel Berry. And Quinn definitely had no idea that she could lose everything in the span of a few hours. But that was what happened. She could see the plan falling apart all around her and was dumb enough to trust the wrong person.
Being a cheerio and a tease, Quinn had done a good job of keeping Puck on his toes just as Santana had always done with Finn. Despite the fact that neither boy would ever get what was being waved in front of their faces, it still gave them something to hope for. Unlike Finn, Puck was smart enough to know what they were doing, but he still willingly came back for more. And around the time everything was coming undone, he was the only one paying attention to her. Puck spent his days being unfairly attractive and giving her compliments, so when the time came it was almost too easy for Quinn to call him that fateful night. Then he was in her room with wine coolers, and she was questioning if she really wanted to do what he obviously wanted to. She was going to have to at some point. Even if she was in the celibacy club, she was also in high school. Everyone eventually had sex in high school even if they weren't completely ready yet. It happened all the time. And at least Puck made her feel something in this position, unlike Finn who had done nothing recently but disgust her with his mailman problem. Besides, like Puck had said, she probably wouldn't even recall Finn in three years. (Even if she did like to pretend otherwise and envision them settling down and starting a family.)
From the moment she saw the plus sign on the cheapest pregnancy test in Lima, Quinn came up with a new plan. To this day it was still the weakest one she's ever thought up. Honestly, it was suicidal. There was no way she could have a baby, but not tell her parents that she was pregnant. She couldn't tell Finn it was his, keep Puck from finding out it was actually his, but not actually have sex with Finn. She couldn't maintain her spot on the Cheerios or her popularity all while having a baby bump. The entire thing was a mess. Really, the only sure fire part of this plan was that she was going to carry the baby to term because in her mind there was no other option. She would have the baby, give it away (at one point to Terri Schuester), and deal with everything else later. The baby came first. She made sure to eat properly even if she didn't feel like it. She went to every doctor appointment even if she had no way of paying for it. There was no reason the baby had to pay for her own stupid mistake. She'd worry about herself and getting back everything she lost afterward. She had no other choice.
"Dying all the time."
After the baby was born, she had the pleasure of dedicating yet another summer to losing weight. She moved back in with her mother because home was on the list of the things she lost. The transition period went rather smoothly. It was after the summer that everything continued on a slow path, heading downhill. Her junior year plan for popularity was very much like her freshman one. It all started by becoming a cheerio. Santana's summer blunder made it easier, and not only gave her a spot back, but head cheerio no less. Quinn had two options going into it. She could be a booster and offer Sue some nice gifts for the squad or she could rat on Santana. She tried the first option but became impatient and activated option number two. Quinn knew that she'd lose Santana's –and by association, Brittany's– friendship, but she couldn't see the point in caring. Neither girl was really around last year when she could've used a friend. It was Mercedes who saved her, and it was her, at the time, enemy who offered her a place of security. So she was fine with losing them and decided to just focus on herself.
She made it clear to Puckerman over the summer that she didn't want anything to do with him anymore, and he thankfully respected her decision. She was alone, and for a change, that was how she wanted it to be. Or so she thought, but then along came Sam not gay Evans. And for the first time in a long time she felt a spark. Too bad it only lasted about a week. She liked Sam, she really did, she just happened to like him more when she wasn't anywhere near him. Sorry, but he was such a dork. It was cute for a while, but then it became grating. It was worse when he wasn't being his dorky self, and all he would talk about was weightlifting and dieting. Still though, he could make her smile, and he was great for curing her reputation both at school and in church. So she stayed with him, and things were fine. It wasn't exciting, it wasn't memorable, but everything was okay for a while. If Finn was ever right about anything, it was that she wouldn't have cheated on Sam if she had actually loved him. Of course, Finn was also too stupid to realize that she never would've cheated on him had she ever really loved him either.
Sam made her life incredibly boring by wanting to do things like take her to Color Me Mine. It was like every day was a Wednesday with him, and when the opportunity presented itself, Quinn did something she never did and ignored the plan. Having somewhat mended her friendships with Brittany and Santana and liking the idea of Finn claiming to know her, Quinn quit the Cheerios to avoid Brittany being shot out of a cannon. In hindsight, this was very, very, very, very dumb. Like Sam had figured out for himself, she needed something to go in its place. Finn was now single and there for the taking. His added popularity from the football game was enough to keep her afloat, it was enough to ensure a win at prom, and most of all, Finn was something else on her list of things she lost. She was so close, so very close, to righting everything and going back to being who she used to be. She'd have Finn by her side, and she'd win Prom Queen, filling in any void that was left and everything would finally be complete. Except she didn't win and he still had feelings for Rachel which is how she ended up being dumped. At a funeral.
"Lose your dreams and you will lose your mind."
If she was being honest with herself, which she never was, then she'd admit that none of it really mattered and be happy that it was all behind her. The truth was, was that she hated being a cheerio. Sue Sylvester was a psychopath and the practices were entirely grueling. Truthfully, she didn't love Finn. He was just a boost to her reputation and the standard boyfriend she was supposed to be dating. If Puck was the virgin golden boy quarterback, then she would've dated him. If Sam had won the big game, then she would've stayed with him. Finn just happened to be ahead of everyone else. She knew this. She's always known this, but if she admitted any of this, then she'd be admitting that she was wrong. She had brought all of this on herself with her own desperate need to be popular. If she admitted that just maybe none of that was actually important, then she would have gone through all of it for nothing. So no, Quinn wasn't about to acknowledge any of this.
Quinn was a liar; practiced and rehearsed. Denial was a place she's been visiting frequently since childhood after learning that her parents' marriage wasn't what a marriage was supposed to be. She had no reservations on staying there. The only problem that came from telling this lie was that even when claiming it all mattered to her, she still couldn't bring herself to care. She should be furious and blood thirsty for once again losing everything. If not angry, then she should at least be saddened by the prospect. Instead, she was nothing. She had lost herself somewhere along the way and was still trapped there. Whether it was last year when she quit the Cheerios or the day she had the baby or the moment she decided to change everything about herself, it didn't matter. She just wasn't here anymore. Everyone else had moved on. Kurt transferred back with a boyfriend. Puck loved Lauren. Sam obviously had something with Mercedes. Rachel had Finn back. Tina was either back with Artie or would get back with Mike. Brittany and Santana may not technically be together, but they were Brittany and Santana. They were all at peace; happy even. But Quinn was stuck. Blindly moving forward alongside everyone else because she didn't have a choice in the matter. Time didn't stop for anything.
"Ain't life unkind?"
Arguably, all she to her name at this point was Jesse St. James. And if that wasn't a direct indicator of how far she's fallen, then she doesn't know what is. She had never liked the idea of depending on someone else. (Though, there's never been a day when she hasn't to some degree.) However, she depended on him now; almost by choice. There were days when he was the only thing pushing her forward; making her talk, act, think, and participate in his stupid idea of therapy. He was a caring jerk like that. Jesse was the one who pushed her in to rejoining glee club or having girls' day once a week with her mother (which really made no sense considering he usually tagged along). She hated him for helping her, and he knew she did. Yet there he still was anytime she needed him. Clearly he wasn't that bright. Either that or he needed therapy of his own.
"Goodbye, Ruby Tuesday. Who could han-" Karofsky stopped singing when he realized he was the only one which wasn't supposed to be the case during the chorus. "Quinn." He tried to get her attention. "Quinn!" He tried again to success this time. "I know I'm new, but I'm pretty sure a duet is between two people."
Quinn watched him wait for some type of response. He looked different than she remembered him. He looked more like a person.
"Why did you join glee?" She asked abruptly.
Karofsky sighed, defeated, like he had been expecting this question at some point. It occurred to her that he'd most likely been asked by several people in glee already.
"It's my last year." He leaned against the teacher's desk with a shrug. "I guess I didn't want to look back on high school with nothing but regrets. I figured I'd do something I want to do for a change."
As she observed his strained posture, she briefly wondered if he was trapped somewhere else too.
"Good luck with that."
Karofsky quickly tensed up and snapped his attention to her. If she had to guess, she'd say he misinterpreted her sincere encouragement. Great. And after she had to listen to his dumb song on top of it.
"You're one to talk. So I've thrown slushies in all of your faces." He said hastily.
Yep, it was a defensive person. She hated dealing with people who had similar tendencies that she had. It was why she and Santana clashed so often.
"You and your cheerios have bullied every loser in this school. You tortured the hell out of Jewfro and that Berry chick. Not to mention Pepperface." He added.
Quinn's features contorted into a bemused frown. "Um, I've never threatened someone's life and scared them to the point of transferring. There's a difference." She knew there was a difference. There were lines, and the only time she's ever crossed one was when she slapped Rachel last year. But that wasn't bullying anyway. That was something private.
"Yeah, well I've apologized for that, and I'm trying to make up for it now. I'd take it back if I could. Have you ever apologized for anything?"
She really didn't know why he was attacking her. So she made fun of him a few times when he was on the hockey team. Big deal. It was the hockey team. It's not like anyone touched him after he joined football last year.
"Let's just finish the stupid song, okay?" She picked the sheet music back up and made sure he did the same. She needed to finish rehearsing with him this afternoon. There was no way she was giving up her weekend for Jesse's stupid project. Today was Karofsky, tomorrow was Rachel, and yesterday was Sam. Although, Mercedes was also there yesterday when she was practicing with Sam. At one time maybe Mercedes would have trusted her to be left alone with her obviously secret boyfriend. Of course, at one time maybe Mercedes would've confided in her about her secret boyfriend. Either way, Quinn found it cute, and she had to bite her tongue several times to keep from saying that she was happy for them both.
"Karofsky." Blaine interrupted their song from the doorway. "I've been looking all over for you." He walked over to them.
"Not that hard to find." Karofsky returned.
Blaine nodded. "Well we better go start practicing our duet. Unless you want to bail."
"No." Karofsky grit out through his teeth.
"Glad to hear it." Blaine grinned smugly.
Quinn's eyes shifted between the two, and for some reason she felt the urge to shelter the guy who was also stuck somewhere from Mr. Hoity-Toity.
"Uh, not to be rude or anything," she deadpanned, "but we were kind of in the middle of something."
Blaine had the decency to look apologetic. "Oh, um-"
"No, it's fine." Karofsky cut in. "I think we've got it." He told Quinn before leaving with his other partner.
Quinn waited a minute before also exiting from the room. She headed down a couple of hallways until she hit the choir room. She was suddenly in a mood. "Hey." She greeted the only person there.
Jesse, sitting at the piano, looked over his shoulder. "Quinn. How'd the duet go?" He questioned, turning back to work on whatever he was working on.
"Fine. I came down with a case of depressing, melancholy thoughts, and now I hate the song he chose, but other than that, it was fine."
"Good to hear." He continued writing on his sheet of paper.
She walked around the piano in order to face him. "Can we talk?"
"Sure." He flipped over the page in his hands.
"Jesse."
"Hmm?"
"Would you put down the paper? I'm trying to engage in your ridiculous therapy."
Jesse immediately set down his paper. "I'm sorry. I didn't realize this was important. What's on your mind?"
"Well forget it now."
Jesse nodded once and went back to what he was doing before she came here. Quinn generally did this. She'd want to talk about something, ignore what she wanted to talk about, and finally talk about it. It would just take a few minutes. Terribly frustrating the first time she did it as he had no idea what was going on. He was used to it by now.
Quinn walked over and sat down on the bench next to him. "What are you doing anyway?" She looked over the paper. It looked like scribbles.
"Coming up with some choreography for Sectionals."
"It's just a mess of lines."
"Fitting. It is New Directions after all."
She heavily leaned her head onto his shoulder. "I'm tired of feeling empty."
"Then change." He scratched something out.
Quinn picked her head back up to glare at him. "That's your advice?"
"Yep. Ask yourself what would make you happy and then go and get it. If it's not that simple, then you're the one making it complicated." He paused his writing. "Would you say everyone in glee can do a sidestep?"
"Yes, and we can also do turns." She said curtly.
"Interesting." He put the pen back to paper.
"What if I don't know what would make me happy?"
"You will."
She read over his additions. "Lauren can't do a pirouette."
He threw down his pen. "Why is she even here?"
Quinn shrugged. "Puck probably."
"Does anyone act in this club without having it directly relate to who they're sleeping with?"
The friends were interrupted by shuffling feet behind them. They turned back to find Rachel entering through the doorway. She froze for a second after seeing who was already in the room.
Quinn looked back at Jesse. "You tell me."
"I'm sorry." Rachel timidly entered farther into the room. "I didn't know anyone was going to be here."
Quinn stood from the bench. "It's fine, actually. I was just leaving."
"Oh. Well remember, Quinn. We've got practice tomorrow." Rachel told the blonde as she passed by her.
"How could I forget?"
Rachel continued walking over next to Jesse. "I hope you won't mind if-"
He held up a finger to shush Rachel momentarily. "Quinn." He called after her.
"Yeah?" Quinn turned around in the doorway.
"I'm going to call you later so try not to avoid me or mysteriously misplace your phone."
Quinn sighed. "It was one time."
Jesse waited until she left before turning back to Rachel with a smile. "You were saying?"
She returned the grin. "Just that I hope you don't mind if Finn and I practice our duet in here during this period."
"Oh and where is good old Finn? Running late is he? Perhaps he got lost. It's understandable. These hallways are quite hard to navigate through, and he's not the brightest bulb."
"I'd appreciate it if you'd at least try and be civil with him."
"Yes, that was immature of me."
"I'd just really like it if we could all maybe get along." She played with her hands. "I'd really like it if you stayed on as instructor, but that won't happen if you keep causing tension."
"I'm glad you'd like me to stay, but I don't think I've caused any tension. I think it's just there." He playfully frowned. "I wonder why. Why would there be a tension between us, Rachel? Why is there normally a tension between a man and a woman?"
Rachel opened her mouth to retort his insinuation but was interrupted from doing so as her boyfriend finally entered the room. Finn came tumbling in through one of the doors slightly out of breath and carrying his sheet music.
"Sorry I'm late, but-" He stopped his apology as he noticed Jesse. "Hey." Finn greeted sharply. Jesse ignored him.
"I just had a great idea." Jesse quickly told Rachel. "And since that I don't want to have to see this show twice," he gestured between the couple, "I'm going to go. It's a marvelous idea. It can't wait." He stood from the bench and collected his things. "I'm actually amazed I came up with it. Spur of the moment no less."
"Okay." Finn frowned. "Well, are you gonna tell us?"
"Oh, no." Jesse chuckled, waving it off. "It has nothing to do with either of you."
Finn and Rachel watched in confusion as Jesse quickly left the choir room seeming quite chipper.
The following afternoon, Quinn was busy not staring into her locker. She came here to get books. It had nothing to do with the fact that she had nothing to do during the passing period and didn't want to show up to class five minutes early. Quinn shut her locker and began her extra slow journey to class. She got nowhere when God provided her with a distraction. There, ten feet in front of her, was Jesse St. James carrying a gray ball of fur. It was the first time she'd seen him all day which now of course made sense. He obviously hadn't come in today on account of the fact she was still dreaming. She had a hard time believing that this was actually happening.
Jesse finished making his way and stopped in front of Quinn. "For you." He handed a kitten over. She merely frowned. "It's a gift."
Quinn looked down at the bundle now in her arms. "You got me a kitten? A real life kitten." She asked slowly.
"You know, I really think that I should pursue this psychiatrist angle. I'm quite good. Obviously a natural. It's a work of a genius." He smiled. "After speaking with you yesterday, I knew something was wrong and that I had to do something. So I came up with the best possible solution. One that's never been thought of before. I would get you a pet. A substitute of sorts. Instant, short-term happiness. Something to fill the void of emptiness if you will."
"Innovative." She joked. He didn't notice.
"I'm thinking of having it published."
The animal in her arms shifted again, causing a thought to come to her mind. "Jesse, where did you get the kitten?" She wouldn't be surprised if he swiped it off of some child.
"Brittany."
Close enough.
"Her cat had kittens over the summer, and she's giving them away. Brittany kept one, Santana got one, Artie got one, Tina got one, and now you have one. All I had to do was promise that I wasn't sacrificing it in a demonic ritual and voila." He explained reaching over to scratch behind the cat's ear for a moment. "You should be happier. I got you the cutest one. I know most people like to think that kittens, puppies, and babies are all equally adorable, but that's entirely untrue. So I made sure to avoid the uggos."
Quinn continued to frown down at the squirming kitten. "Well thanks I guess."
Jesse sighed audibly. "What's the problem?"
"Nothing, I'm just not sure my mother will let me keep it. Pets have never been allowed in the Fabray home."
"Just leave Judy to me. I connect on a much deeper level with her than you do. It's a talent." Jesse smirked at her narrowed eyes and went to grab the kitten back.
Quinn turned and shielded the kitten in her arms away from him. "What are you doing?"
"You have class. I'll watch him until glee. I've had the thing since this morning. I know what I'm doing."
"No, it's fine. What's one class?"
"I'm probably not the best person to ask."
The pair spent the would-be class in the choir room waiting for glee to start. Jesse busied himself by pestering her about her duets (mainly her one with Rachel), and Quinn promptly ignored him by playing with her new friend. Around the time glee started and more people began arriving, the kitten became agitated with kitten-fear. Jesse was a big help by assuring her that it was just because it was seeing the faces of New Directions for the first time. After some Brittany-wisdom on kitten-raising and a practice reschedule with Rachel, Quinn was leaving with the four legged fur ball. She probably didn't have to as the kitten began to calm down some, but it was a free excuse to miss glee. She wasn't about to pass that up.
Initially when Jesse handed her the kitten, she really didn't want to get attached. In all likelihood, her mother probably wasn't going to want Quinn to keep it. Pets were added responsibility, unnecessary stress, and just a mess in general. That was most likely what was going to be said. Keep in mind this was also the same woman who was fine with Quinn keeping a baby, though. Quinn was counting on being able to use that against her mother. Either that or play the you-set-the-timer-on-the-microwave-and-kicked-me-out-when-I-was-pregnant-with-your-granddaughter card. She's been saving it for over a year. And she'd be more than willing to use it now. She, unfortunately, was already attached. Why? Because she was dumb enough to look at the kitten. And you know what kittens had? Adorable kitten-faces.
The first stop she made on the way home from school was at the nearest PetSmart. Somehow she doubted that her mother opened a joint checking account for the two of them so she could spend $70 on kitten supplies. Oh well. It would at least show that she was invested, and anyway, she was also given some useful pamphlets from the in-store vets (or maybe it was groomers) that they had. When she got home she set everything up in one room (her room) like she was instructed to and began to get the kitten settled. She cleaned up to make sure there was nothing lying around that he could choke on. She calculated how long it would take her to drive home during her morning study hall and afternoon lunch hour so she could kitty-sit the next couple of weeks until he could be left entirely alone and not perish. By the time she got off the phone with Brittany and finished charting out what vaccines he already had and which ones he needed to still get, Rachel had arrived at the rescheduled time.
Rachel was nervous to say the least. For the first time she would be going to the Fabray house. A center of perfected beauty and a socialite outlook. And on top of feeling out of her element, she'd be alone in an unknown location with Quinn Fabray for a few hours. So she did what she always did when she was nervous: Babbled. A lot. As soon as she got to into Quinn's room, she pulled out her folder of sheet music and began presenting a list of songs that she thought would be their best options. It went on for a while as it was a rather long list, and Quinn just seemed to be tuning the whole thing out. Instead, the blonde was sitting on her bed and using a feather on a stick to play with the kitten they had all met at the start of glee earlier. Rachel was an expert on picking out young animals, always searching for the perfect one, and this one was easily to be considered adorable. Short charcoal gray hair and eyes outlined in white to match its four white paws. It was a winner, and it had the unfair advantage of having Quinn Fabray as its owner who really should not be allowed to be in such a close vicinity to baby animals. As if Quinn needed an excuse to seem more attractive.
Rachel took a few steps and slowly sat down next to Quinn on the edge of the bed, making sure to keep a sizeable gap between them. "Quinn, while I'm very happy that you seem to love your new pet so much, we really must work on our duet." Though, she truly had the oddest incline not to disturb them. It was so seldom that Quinn smiled, and with the girl's rapid shifts in mood, Rachel really didn't want to be the end to Quinn's contentment. "Have you named him yet?"
"Um…Well, I've come up with a few, but I don't actually want to go through with it until I know for sure that I can keep him."
Rachel refrained from pointing out that Quinn's room looked like the set for a 9Lives commercial. "What were you thinking of?"
Quinn shrugged and reached over to lift the kitten up. "The front runner is Paul Newman." She stood and walked over to the kitten's custom made cat bed and placed him down in it. "I decided to actually join Jesse and my mother's movie night last week, and it was Paul Newman night." Quinn rolled her eyes at what Rachel could only assume was the idea of Jesse spending extra time with her mother. Rachel could appreciate that incongruity. "Anyway, I really liked Cool Hand Luke."
"I've always been partial to Paris Blues myself." Rachel spoke without realizing she did. She was still stuck on her curiosity of whether or not Jesse was still in contact with Shelby. She looked over at her counterpart and made the continued mistake of locking eyes with Quinn. This was something she never exactly liked to do. Had no explanation as to why, though.
"We didn't watch that one."
"You should. You'd like it."
Quinn nodded once and retook her seat. They were left in a silence prompting Rachel to search for a way to fill it.
"Um. Do you have any ideas on what you'd like us to sing? I've narrowed it down to-"
"You can pick."
"Quinn, this is a partnership. We should-"
"It really doesn't matter to me."
"Please try and take this seriously. It's very important that I impress Jesse. He'll be using these duets to choose who performs during competitions."
"You could sing the theme to Three's Company three times next week and Jesse would still think you were the best performer. You really don't have anything to worry about."
"Has he shared this with you? Perhaps you have some inside information that he's already hinted at." Rachel pried.
"No, but everyone one in glee knows it. Jesse doesn't have to tell me everything."
"Oh. Well I just thought with your advanced friendship that you'd have some insight. It seemed like he's been informing you on all of his plans."
"Hardly. Jesse's the king of half-truths."
Rachel sighed. She knew of his half-truths. "Quinn, why are you friends with him?"
She watched her think about it for a second and anticipated the answer. Since learning that the two were just friends, it's been something Rachel was wondering about. "Because he's been there for me both when I've needed him and when I haven't." Quinn paused. "I think the better question is why is he friends with me?"
Rachel didn't agree with this. Jesse wanting to be friends with Quinn was the side that made sense. She could never understand why anyone wouldn't want to be friends with the blonde. Quinn was the epitome of everything people strived to be in high school…well, except for the pregnancy part.
"I approached Jesse with an offer for peace yesterday." Rachel informed. "I tried to explain to him why it'd be best to put things to rest between the four of us."
Quinn didn't need to be told who the forth was. "All things considered, it should probably be worse. I think it's safe to say that this is the best it's going to get."
"Why, though?" Rachel asked innocently, and upon Quinn's look of pure disbelief she guessed it was the wrong one.
"Because every time I just look at Finn, I want to punch him in the face. Because Jesse is beyond arrogant and in love with you. Because despite our non-efforts, you and I will never be friends. Because Finn is always going to act like a child. Because it's high school."
Rachel fidgeted as Quinn's outburst came to an end and she evened out her breathing. This was the type of mood shift Rachel was hoping to avoid. She thought about maybe just guiding Quinn over to the kitten. Perhaps that would distract her into being happy again. Rachel glanced down toward the kitten's bedding. Paul Newman looked to be catnapping. Traitor.
"So what are you singing with Sam and David?" Rachel went with asking a pointless question as option number two.
Quinn's residual anger wore off as she had to stop and think up who David was for a moment. She shook her head slightly and worked through the answer as it was leaving her mouth. "Uh, Karofsky wanted to sing 'Ruby Tuesday' and Sam wanted to do 'Mrs. Robinson' so I guess we're singing 'Ruby Tuesday' and 'Mrs. Robinson.'"
"Noah and I wanted to celebrate our Jewish heritage." Rachel was now practically bouncing on the edge of the bed. Apparently Quinn actually granting her an answer was an invitation to go on a mini spiel. "At first we were going to go with Neil and Barbra's 'You Don't Bring Me Flowers,' but we felt that would've been too obvious so we're mashing-up Carole King's hit 'You've Got a Friend' with Billy Joel's 'Just the Way You Are' instead."
Quinn wasn't sure how that was deemed less obvious, but she was afraid to ask. Instead she went with, "What are you and Finn doing?" She regretted the words the moment they left her mouth, fearing another ramble coming on. However, the question just seemed to cause Rachel to lose some of her steam.
"Well Finn wanted to send a strong message to Jesse that we're an item, and that he can't come between us." She hesitantly explained. "Despite my best reasoning, he's set on going through with this and has decided for us to sing 'To Love Somebody' by the Bee Gees."
"You want Jesse to take your relationship with Finn seriously so you're going to sing a Bee Gees song."
"I admit it may not have been Finn's best idea."
Quinn snorted. "I wonder what could be considered Finn's best idea to date. Was it choosing to drink the grape Gatorade or the fruit punch?" She put on a mock-frown. "Such the complicated existence."
"Personally, I think his best idea is whenever he chooses to listen to me." She grinned, earning a carefree giggle from Quinn. But then collected-Quinn realized what she had done and immediately put a stop to this type of behavior. Rachel noticed this and tried to disrupt the awkwardness before it settled in on them like it always seemed to do.
"We should really get started." She lifted her folder before she placed it in her lap and began going through it. "You know, the more I think about it, I suppose it's better that you've declined in choosing a song. Your song selections are usually odd, and you probably couldn't even come up with a proper one for us to sing."
Quinn narrowed her eyes at Rachel nonchalance. She knew what the other girl was doing. Rachel was trying to bait her into participating. Well joke's on her because there was no way Quinn was going to fall for it. Nope.
"I didn't say I couldn't pick one. Just that I didn't care."
Rachel suppressed a grin and continued with the act of indifference. "It's all the same to my ears." She flipped over another sheet.
Quinn pursed her lips before putting on her own cool exterior. "Hypothetically, if I did care, which I don't, I would definitely pick a better song than you're probably going to. All you ever choose is sappy with a side of embarrassment."
"Quinn, this really is not a competition. I've been listening to music since in the womb. I have been given a countless amount of records, cassettes, CDs, and iTunes gift cards for select birthdays, holidays, and an overall allowance. Therefore, I have undoubtedly been exposed to more music than you have thus I would be able to pick the better song for us to sing next week."
"You'll have to excuse me, but it's a little hard to take you seriously when you're the girl who's willing to sing a Bee Gees song."
"Mock me all you like, but you could not possibly come up with a better choice than me."
"Yes I can."
"No you can't."
"Yes I can."
"Then prove it." She placed half of the pile of sheet music on Quinn's lap. Rachel then went back to looking through the songs while Quinn proceeded to strum her fingers on the top of her pile. She was not going to fall for this. In order to fall for something you had to be unaware to it in the first place which was so clearly not the case. Rachel was not going win this. Nope.
One of the many, many, many things that Jesse had always prided himself on is that he, without a doubt, knew who he was. From infancy to young adulthood he had never been one to surprise himself because he has always known what he was capable of. Now yes, he knows that this puts him above most of the world's general population, but it was a good skill to have. And he definitely was going to use it to his advantage. For instance he knew that he excelled at being four things: A performer, a psychiatrist (Or psychologist. He still wasn't clear on the difference between the two.), a lover, and a liar. So last week when he told New Directions that they would be randomly selected to perform, he knew it was time to be Jesse St. Liar.
As planned, Jesse scheduled the performances he was least looking forward to on the first day. But then he realized having Finn perform all of his duets in one day would have been a little obvious so he had to revise everything. He randomly pulled Rachel and Finn's name tag from the hat first. They disgraced everyone by singing a song that had actually been produced. About love no less. Lauren and Sam went second, so that gave Jesse a few minutes to tune everything out and regain his bearings after Rachel and Fallshort. Becky and Mike were not going to win any competitions anytime soon, but he supposed they were enjoyable to watch. Puck and Artie surprised him with their performance of Neil Young's "Old Man." They were the first duet that was actually good. Kurt and the boyfriend wrapped everything up with the Plain White Tees' "Boomerang," and Jesse seriously considered telling them that their voices did not go together. Not because it was necessarily true but just because he imagined their reactions would be priceless.
Tuesday was a little better. Brittany and Santana were first. So far, it was one of the better ones, and he noticed Quinn seemed to be pretty happy about them singing together. He didn't care enough to ask why. Instead because she was kind of in a good mood, Jesse just made her and Sam go second which he was pleased about. He now had so much more to tease her about. (Always a fun thing to do.) Finn and Tina continued next, and Jesse took the time to actually notice that Tina did indeed have a voice. Not too bad of one either. Mike and Artie went afterward. Artie sang while Mike just danced in what he hopes was meant to be a joke performance of the Justin's (Bieber can GA: Go away.) "Sexy Back." Kurt once again picked up the rear only this time with Mercedes. Honestly, if she just works on her attitude, Jesse would consider putting her front and center. Both of them actually.
Wednesday was kicked off with Becky and Sam doing "On a Carousal" by the Hollies. Lauren and Artie went next winning The Most Awkward One Yet Award with their performance of "Ghostbusters." You know, from Ghostbusters. Rachel then performed with Puck in a mash-up that somehow worked. And despite the fact that Jesse has now begun to think of Puck only as the penis that was rude enough to knock Quinn up, he had to admit that they sounded good together. Well better than Finnept and Rachel anyway. Blaine the Boyfriend then sang with Don the Jock. Their performance of Jimmie Rodgers' "Secretly" was, well, it was really gay which Jesse was pretty sure isn't the song's natural intention. If Kurt's reaction was anything to go by, Jesse thinks the duet was trying to prove some point or something. Kurt was a headlight deer (or however that phrase went), Santana looked like she wanted to be fuming (but this could mean nothing as it was Santana), Boyfriend seemed happy with himself, Jock seemed uncomfortable, and everyone else just seemed generally confused. Mike and Brittany thankfully killed the serious mood by ending the day with their dance rendition of "Whip It" by Devo.
Thursday was the day he would've picked a winner had he been picking winners. He wasn't sure where the hell it came from, but Santana and Mercedes teamed up to blow him away with Stevie Nicks's "Edge of Seventeen." He didn't like the idea of favoring someone else over Rachel so he neglected to tell them this. Besides, it wouldn't be "objective" if he judged before seeing every performance anyway, and Rachel still had one left. Really everyone who followed that day was a letdown and not really worth mentioning. Plaine and Tina went second. Becky and Brittany had fun going third. Quinn and Athlete 65 sang with so much enthusiasm that he got high off of their performance. Not. The Penis and Lauren went last, and Jesse personally felt it was his duty to write a letter of apology to the Gaye and Terrell families respectively.
Not wanting to make the same mistake two days in a row, he decided to save the best for last. Not that he necessarily thought Rachel and Quinn's duet was going to be number one. They just happened to be the only two people in this hell hole of a school he cared about so he was excited about it. Two for the price of one really. Anyway, Santana and Dave Lastname began, and it was the first time Jock seemed to want to be there. Mercedes and Sam followed, turning "Daydream Believer" into a duet which was basically a new couple alert. Apparently New Directions was just a giant orgy. Finnifer and Kurt were the third spot, and Jesse had to grudgingly admit that Finn wasn't all that bad when singing with another male. Tina and Artie finished off the ones-to-ignore with a charming little number.
The only duet he was looking forward to at all during the week started off as a rather odd (disappointedly terrible) one. His girls chose to sing "Anything You Can Do" from Annie Get Your Gun. Based on the fact that it was not a song in Quinn's vocal range and that it was traditionally sung between a man and a woman, he guessed that they were singing it more for a personal reason. He just didn't get it. Rachel was obviously a better performer than Quinn, and Quinn was better at sulking than Rachel. Other than that, they were pretty much even. They were both equally insane just in completely different ways. Just as they were both over dramatic for completely different reasons. It didn't occur to him until the second verse that they were making fun of themselves. They sang in a random order, singing the lines that fit each girl. It was a joke that only he and Brittany figured out. The rest of the glee club just sat there with frowns on their dopey faces, completely confused and afraid of what was going on. They probably should've been tipped of when Rachel and Quinn were trying not to laugh at themselves during the closing part of the song. Seriously. They were all just brain dead primates. Wait. That was insult to monkeys everywhere.
Once they finished and retook their seats to a sparse, obligatory applause (aside from Brittany who was clapping loudly as she always did), Jesse stood and walked to the center of the floor to face these stupid, stupid people.
"Well congratulations, we've made it through another week together." He addressed them. "Now I know that I had to put up with a lot more than any of you had, but I still view it as a success. I plan on spending the weekend choosing who will perform at Sectionals. So on Monday-"
"Hold on." Finn cut in. "No one said you were staying yet. We had a deal."
"That's true. I suppose we did. Let's put it to a vote, shall we? Anyone other than Finn want to give up and make Finn and Rachel your leaders?" Jesse waited and earned only two hands. One from Finn and one from Quinn. He looked to his friend. "Very funny." She lowered her hand with a smirk.
Finn's hand dropped to his lap as he turned around in his chair to look up at all of his supposed friends. "Are you kidding? You all suddenly want him to stay?" He looked down at his girlfriend next to him. "Rach?"
She hesitated before answering. "Jesse has experience and-"
"So do we. We've been to Nationals. We can win by ourselves this time."
"Finn, we need a change of order; to alter our methods. Jesse wants to start preparing for the competitions now. It's better than what we've done the last two years. Coming up with numbers days before the competition or waiting until we actually get on stage."
Jesse looked to the nearest glee clubber. "How did you even go to Nationals?" He whispered to Kurt.
"Don't bother." Kurt shook his head at the absurdity that was New Directions.
"Jesse's way can guarantee a victory." Rachel finished her point. Finn didn't agree and just looked at the rest of the club again.
"You want this guy?" He pointed over to Jesse. "The same guy who spied on us, betrayed us, and egged Rachel?"
"Don't even try that with us." Mercedes told him plainly. "You just don't want him to stay because you're afraid he'll steal your girlfriend."
"Besides, glee needs a leader." Tina settled. "Otherwise it will just be chaos."
Sam shrugged. "Face it man, he's just a better leader than you are."
"This is such bull." Finn whined.
"Oh get over it, Finnessa." Santana scowled, crossing her arms. "Everyone hates someone else in this room and wishes they'd just disappear. For instance, sometimes I just wish Sam's mouth would swallow him whole. Not to mention Wheels is probably wishing he ran me over when he got the chance. And let's not even go into what we all think whenever Berry walks the edge of a stage." She rolled her eyes. "Jesse can be that guy for you. Just imagine his hair growing so long that it chokes him. Likewise, we can all just hope you grow a few more inches and decapitate yourself by walking into a doorframe. It's a win-win."
Kurt looked over at his step-brother. "Santana's underworld psychosis aside, Jesse presents us with the best chance of winning at the moment."
"Plus, all this drama is hilarious." Lauren added.
"Seriously." Puck nodded next to her. "We should steal Jacob's camera so they can all watch themselves."
"Then I guess I'm officially your instructor." Jesse grinned. "So like I was saying, Monday I'll be making Sectionals assignments. From then on out it will be clear who's our stars and who's just our extra performers. But that doesn't mean anyone's less important or useless. The chorography would look terrible if we lost any of you." Jesse St. Liar complimented.
"Whatever." Finn shook his head before standing up and heading out of the nearest exit. Rachel excused herself before following out after him, and Jesse allowed his smile to grow. He liked thinking about Finn getting a little bit taller.
"Hmph. Guess the meeting's adjourned." Jesse dismissed the club and moved to sit on the piano bench. He pulled out a folded sheet of paper from his pocket as they all packed up and left. Only Quinn stayed behind with him.
"Interesting number." He told her.
She sent him a glare. "You made me go last."
"It was simply the fate of the draw."
"Yeah, I bet."
He laughed softly before sobering. "It's going to be a problem."
There were so many possibilities of what he was referring to Quinn didn't know where to start. "What is?"
"The male lead." He said simply. "Rachel is the female lead and our lead-lead star that we need to build around. Think of her as the sun while the rest of you are little specs of light." He demonstrated something with his hands which Quinn rolled her eyes at. "Quinn, we're missing a crucial spec. There is no boy in this club of yours that can be lead."
"Why is it my club all of a sudden?"
Jesse ignored her. "I suppose Puck and Blaine are more than adequate, and Kurt is probably the best performer, but he's a soprano. That won't work. Artie easily has the best raw vocals, but he's in a wheelchair. We can't use him. Sam-"
"Hold on, that's stupid. Why not?"
"Aside from the fact that he throws off all the choreography, it will look like we're pandering. 'Oh look, our boy in a wheelchair. He's singing. We obviously don't have any real talent, so please give us your sympathy vote.'" He acted out. "That's all the judges will see."
"You're taking this too seriously."
"This is a big problem."
"So then give a spot to all of them."
"What?"
"For the five hundredth time now, you're never going to accomplish anything if you make Rachel 'the sun.' Use her, of course, but there are multiple songs in every competition. You have other talent to work with. You just named four people who can be your male lead. So use all of them."
"Use all of them." He repeated to himself with a shake of the head. "Do you have any idea how behind we are already? We should be choosing a set list for Nationals, yet we don't even know who's performing at Sectionals yet."
"Rome wasn't built in a day." She said wryly, small smile playing on her lips. Jesse was not amused.
"Are you joking with me right now?"
Quinn dropped her smile. "It's a show choir."
"Yes. One that I have much riding on."
"She's just Rachel Berry."
Jesse looked incredulous for a moment before sending her a glare. "I sincerely hope that you develop true feelings for someone one day so I can be there to make your life miserable." He went back to staring at his notes.
Quinn waited a beat before mocking him. "Figure out your problem yet?" She asked over his shoulder.
"Go away." He shooed her.
"I'd wish you luck, but I don't really like you."
"I'd give you a solo, but you're really not that good."
"Ouch." She feigned.
"I regret giving you a friend."
She left chuckling, having no idea if he was referring to himself or Paul Newman.