Description: Santana really wishes they wouldn't get so attached. Quinn wishes Brittany wouldn't go out so late. Brittany wishes Quinn would eat better. And Rachel? Rachel just wants the three of them to stop.
"I'm like a lizard. I need something warm beneath me or else I can't digest my food."
Chapter 1: Sing It To Me
When Rachel walked into Glee club the next day, she was completely set on her song. She'd been planning on singing a song to the three girls that made students' lives hell for a while now, but she'd wanted to pick a specific song that would fit them all. In the end, she'd decided against the idea, instead picking a song that applied specifically to Quinn.
She made this decision because two weeks ago Quinn had broken up with Finn out of the blue and left the boy heartbroken. But no, that wasn't the worst of it- she also submitted unspecified blackmail that had gotten the boy kicked off of the football team. Rachel wasn't exactly friends with Finn, but she did harbor some affection for him and he was her teammate in Glee.
The song applied to all three of the girls, really, but she was going to be singing it mostly to Quinn. She nodded to the guitarist to play the opening chords.
"This whole routine is getting old
So am I, and so are you
My reputation lets me know
I can do whatever I want to
Though it seems that you believe
You can do whatever it is you please
Know before, know before you wind up on your knees
Don't cry to me no more"
Rachel sung the words while sending glances right at Quinn as well as sending some Brittany and Santana's way. She felt the words in her heart- this wasn't just a performance. It was a message. She was tired of the Unholy Trinity's routine of doing whatever they wanted and getting away with it because people just automatically wanted to please them. The guys all wanted to be with them and the girls either wanted the same or to just be them.
"You like the way that people stare at you
Now you look so fake,
just thought that you should know
And you're all the same,
and when the curtain drops down
You'll be replaced by something typical"
When she got to the chorus, she was really belting it out. She knew it was true, that the three of them loved being the center of attention. It was also her belief that if anyone looked past their achingly-good looks they'd find that there was truly nothing extraordinary about the three cheerleaders.
"You set yourself up to be sold
and that's ok cause that's your role
Manipulation takes its toll
What will you do when nobody wants you
Though it seems that you believe
You can do whatever it is you please
Know before, know before you wind up on your knees
Don't cry to me no more"
Rachel tried to ignore the raised eyebrow she was getting from Quinn in response to the song, but she couldn't help the heat that came to the tips of her ears at that look. It was terrifying because Rachel had seen what had happened to people after receiving that look before. But she couldn't help it- she continued singing. The three of them were the masters of manipulation. The one line that Rachel struggled with was the one about what would happen when no one wanted them anymore. Honestly, Rachel couldn't imagine that ever happening. Sure, when she was feeling particularly vindictive she'd imagine the day when the three of them became old and fat, but it was a struggle.
"You like the way that people stare at you
Now you look so fake,
just thought that you should know
And you're all the same,
and when the curtain drops down
You'll be replaced by something typical"
Her return to the chorus was strong and she tried to look more at Santana and Brittany since they weren't staring intensely back at her like Quinn was. Brittany looked curious and Santana looked flat-out bored.
"I know, I've stood so long beside you
And I know, I should've left you right where I had found you
I know, I've stood so long beside you
And I know, I should've left you right where I had found you"
This verse was different to Rachel. She tried to sing it on Finn's behalf, because he was the one who stood beside Quinn and she left him without a hint. But Rachel also felt a sort of personal connection because she'd attempted to befriend the three of them as soon as they joined Glee, but they remained as removed and bitchy as ever.
"You like the way that people stare at you
Now you look so fake,
just thought that you should know
And you're all the same,
and when the curtain drops down
You'll be replaced by something typical"
With one final return to the chorus, Rachel finished the song with the final strum of the guitar and headed back to her seat, staring at the ground the whole way there. After staring at three of the most terrifying people throughout an entire song, she couldn't bear to meet their eyes anymore.
"Alright, that was good, Rachel. Does anyone else want to sing anything for the group?" Mr. Shue asked. Rachel had given up on receiving any actual useful criticism from the director of the Glee Club. He said the same thing every time she sang a solo- that it was "good." That's it. Rachel knew she was beyond good, that she had a lot of potential, but she clearly would have to rely on her voice teacher outside of school for any real advice on singing.
Quinn got the message Rachel was trying to give her loud and clear; she wasn't stupid. Rachel blamed her for breaking Finn's heart and believed her to be a cold-hearted bitch. Well, she wasn't completely wrong. Yes, she was completely to blame for breaking Finn's heart and she could sometimes be a bitch, but breaking up with Finn had nothing to do with maintaining her Ice Queen status. It actually had absolutely nothing to do with status at all. She had been dating Finn for a couple months but she knew it wasn't really working out. Sure, he was being a nice guy or whatever, but she was really only with him because he was easy to control.
So that wasn't exactly the best way to start out when she said she wasn't trying to break his heart for status. But it was true. She wanted to be with someone that she could manipulate without them realizing it because relationships weren't the same to her as they were to everyone else.
She broke up with Finn because he was starting to develop real feelings for her and she couldn't have that happen, not when she didn't return them. She wanted to set him free to see other people, people who would have a chance of loving him back.
So Rachel's song irked her, but she knew where the little diva was coming from. Plus, she couldn't blame Rachel for being angry at her for two reasons- one, she had a feeling the girl liked Finn and wanted to protect him from getting hurt, and two, Quinn had been partially responsible for sorting Rachel into the loser category.
It hadn't been something that she'd planned. When she got to high school with Brittany and met Santana, the three of them made a pact to stick together and rise to the top of the social food chain. That required cutting some people down. Unfortunately for Rachel, she made an easy target. She had two dads and a nose that was slightly larger than average and an extremely motivated personality.
It was actually Quinn who picked her out of the crowd. Each of them picked people from the beginning, a lot of people who, incidentally, ended up being in the Glee Club. Santana had picked out Artie for obvious reasons. She always did like to keep things simple. Brittany had picked out Kurt sort of on accident. She'd noticed his sexuality at first glance and told Santana who took it as a cue to label him as a target. It was fairly hypocritical since Quinn knew for a fact that Santana slept with girls as well as guys, but she didn't bring it up.
So she didn't respond with anger when Rachel sang the song to her. It was also aimed partially at Santana and Brittany, so she reasoned that the final decision wasn't really up to her anyway.
She noticed that Rachel didn't meet anyone's eye for the rest of the rehearsal, probably because she was scared of Quinn's response. Quinn almost felt bad- she'd put some of these kids through hell in order to rise to the top. It was a big reason why the Unholy Trinity had joined Glee- guilt over kicking these people down. Joining their club was hardly actual atonement for their misdemeanors, but Quinn figured that perhaps she could mend some fences through the activity. She'd actually been moderately successful, but Brittany by far had the most success.
Brittany was viewed as the most innocent of the trinity and as such was forgiven much more easily. She had even dated Artie for a short stint earlier in the year. She never stayed in any sort of relationship for very long though.
As rehearsal ended, Quinn watched Rachel practically leap out of her seat to leave the classroom as fast as possible and felt a twinge of regret. She'd have to do something about that.
"I can't believe the nerve of that little hobbit," Santana laughed as soon as the three of them got out of Glee and walked to the parking lot together. Quinn and Brittany shared a car that their mom bought for them- she may be absent, but she had no problem trying to make up for that with lavish gifts- and they drove Santana to school every day.
"She has a good voice, like a bird," Brittany commented. "Or a dolphin. I like the noises dolphins make."
"That's nice, B. But I think she needs to be knocked down a peg if she thinks she can get away with that," Santana said.
Quinn chewed on her lip, not really wanting to contribute an opinion but knowing it would look odd if she didn't. "Are you sure? I mean, I thought this year was our year to coast. We're seniors, we're at the top of the Cheerios and the school, all while being a part of the most loser-heavy club at this school. We don't need to take any action to stay on top," Quinn added her thoughts.
Santana smirked. "But it's too damn fun."
Quinn begged to differ. Every since last year, tearing other people down has sort of lost its appeal. She knew that Brittany didn't really care one way or another unless the person had hurt her by making fun of her or something of that nature. Santana enjoyed the thrill of the hunt, the feeling that came along with exercising her power over the feeble masses of McKinley. Quinn used to feel similarly, so she understood.
"If you really want to. But I think it might be best to sort of lay low. We do have a tendency to… draw attention to ourselves," Quinn added with a bit of a smirk of her own. It was true- they always had a captive audience.
"Fine," Santana gave in. "It was mostly aimed at you, so you get the final call. But I'm still pulling something on Artie. I overheard him calling Brittany stupid."
Quinn highly doubted it. It was much more likely that Santana had caught him looking at Brittany's ass or something like that. The Latina was quite protective of Brittany, especially when it came to Artie since she'd dated the boy.
"So we've got another couple minutes until cheer practice starts. You wanna head over early?" Brittany suggested. The other two shrugged and followed Brittany over to the field. They often times arrived first and left last when it came to practices. Being on the top had its privileges, but it also came with responsibilities, like trying to impress Coach Sylvester constantly. If Sue was happy, the Cheerios were happy- simple math.
Brittany watched Quinn closely throughout the practice. She didn't make any mistakes, true, but she also wasn't phenomenal like she usually was. Brittany wondered when the last time it was that her sister had anything to eat. Quinn's new habit of cutting back on eating was really starting to worry Brittany.
After practice ended, the three of them drove back to Brittany and Quinn's house like usual. Quinn announced that she was going to take a nap, which was just as well because Brittany really wanted to talk to Santana.
"She's not eating again," Brittany informed her close friend quietly. Santana's brow furrowed. This had happened once before- right after the incident last year.
"That's not good, and not like her. I know that she's been going out for food pretty infrequently in comparison to her usual habits ever since last year, but do you think she's been stopping altogether?" Santana questioned. This was a serious matter. Not eating could lead Quinn to have some serious physical and mental repercussions.
"Yeah. I mean, I know she hasn't in at least two days because I've been with her all day except for when I went out, and I know for a fact she stayed in," Brittany confirmed.
"Keep an eye on her. If she still hasn't had anything by tonight, I'll give her an intervention," Santana said, soothingly stroking Brittany's arm. She wondered, not for the first time, if Brittany got the message that she was trying to get across with the small gesture, the message she was always trying to give. She knew that Brittany was good at reading people, but sometimes it was easiest to miss signals from the people you were closest to.
Rachel went home after Glee rehearsal with a heavy heart. She passed right by the cheerleaders without them so much as noticing in the parking lot. Did she really blend in that much? Well, next to the three prettiest girls she's ever met, she supposed she didn't really stand out much at all. No wonder they couldn't even be bothered to pick up on her presence a lot of the time.
She couldn't shake that feeling of guilt over singing such a harsh song to Quinn. If Rachel was honest with herself, she'd have to admit that she'd been receiving far less bullying this year than she had the three previous. Maybe it was the Unholy Trinity winding down, or maybe they'd found a new focus. Either way, she wasn't going to complain. If she was even more honest with herself she'd have to confess that the only reason she had enough courage to sing that song was because the Cheerios had not been treating her as badly recently and consequently were less likely to punish her harshly for her offense.
After doing all of her homework and eating dinner, Rachel took a video of the song she'd sung in Glee today, but she wasn't really satisfied with it. It didn't have the same sort of feeling when she wasn't looking right at Quinn as she sang it. She let out a sigh and put away her video camera, resigning herself to get some sleep.
After trying- and failing- to get to sleep, Rachel decided that she could use a walk outside to clear her head. Checking the clock, she noted that it was after midnight, so her dads would already be asleep and would stay as such as long as she was quiet leaving the house. She crept downstairs and out her front door as quiet as a mouse.
Brittany had kept an eye on Quinn and she hadn't so much as left the house. Worrying her lip between her teeth, she told Santana about it who went upstairs to confront Quinn with Brittany tagging along just behind her.
"Hey, you two," Quinn greeted. She'd just been about to put on some pajamas and go to sleep since midnight was just about upon them.
"Quinn, you haven't eaten anything in the past couple days," Santana got right to the point. Quinn ceased her motions of retrieving clothes and sat down on her bed, knowing that this conversation was not going to be swept under the rug.
"So? I'm fine, clearly. Some people go longer without anything," Quinn defended. Santana's arms were crossed over her chest.
"I'm sure they do. But they aren't you, and you usually eat a healthy amount every day. Now, you've barely had anything since you broke up with Finn, which was also a dumb decision, I might add. He was willing to follow you around and give you wanted you wanted- what you needed," Santana responded.
Quinn stood up, taking a few steps toward her best friend. "Oh yeah? I'm getting relationship advice from the infamous whore of Mckinley?"
Brittany stepped between the two girls upon seeing Santana's snarl and Quinn's glare. She often times had to play peacemaker between the two of them. Both were so stubborn and hotheaded that they went at each other frequently, though they pretty much always made up just as quickly as they started fighting.
"Guys, calm down. We don't have to argue like this. Quinn, I was the one who told Santana I was worried about you not eating. Why don't we just go out tonight and grab something quick?" Brittany suggested. Quinn and Santana both grumbled but obliged, leaving the house to go get sustenance.
Rachel was walking through the streets of town noticing how it was really quiet after midnight in a small town like Lima. They really didn't have a night life at all, especially on a Monday night. Sure, some kids threw parties on Fridays and Saturdays, but those were in their own houses, not in the middle of town.
She liked the quiet, but it made her long for the noise of New York City. She wanted to live in the city that never slept, where there would always be a scene going on no matter where you looked or when. Lima was just such a sleepy little town when she compared it to the city of her dreams.
Rachel let out a sigh, reminding herself that she would be in New York soon after graduating. She had gotten into NYADA, after all, so it was now just a matter of counting down the days. Soon enough she'd be free of the town of nothing and the school reigned by the three terrors. Now that her mind was turned to the Cheerios, she couldn't get them out of her head. It was like that for most people, she imagined, but she liked to think that she wasn't as captivated by them as the rest of the school was. She didn't got out of her way to please them or garner attention from them as an acolyte or admirer. Well, not so much as an admirer. She couldn't help but have a sort of begrudging admiration for the three of them; they were beautiful, smart, and good at singing and dancing. She may not particularly like the Unholy Trinity as people, but Rachel did like their traits on paper.
She took a turn around the corner only to see the first people she'd run into all night. There were two figures approaching a larger one- she thought it was two girls approaching a guy, but she couldn't be sure.
"What are you two lovely girls doing out here at this time of night?" the guy asked. Rachel though his words sounded slurred and she felt worried for the two girls. A guy like that while inebriated could do some awful things.
"Oh, we were just having some fun," the one girl said. Her voice sounded familiar, so Rachel edged closer, sticking to the darker shadows of the street, trying to not get noticed.
"Really? I could show you some fun," the guy said suggestively. The two girls approached him closer and Rachel was about to yell out when she felt a hands reach around her and cover her eyes and heard a silky smooth voice in her ear.
"I wouldn't interrupt them if I were you." That voice was also familiar, so very recognizable. But Rachel couldn't say her name, couldn't call out the girl whose hands blocked her eyes. She felt trapped even though she could probably get away from this girl easily. Her breath was taken away.
Rachel felt the girl lean down to nuzzle her neck. She was frozen in place, mostly out of confusion. She begged her body to move, to let this girl know she knew who she was. Actually, Rachel wondered if this girl knew who she was holding onto. Rachel had been in the shadows with her head down and hair covering her face…
Oh god, the girl was running her lips up the column of Rachel's neck. The brunette swallowed hard, trying to ignore the feeling settling beneath her stomach at the lips on her neck.
Finally, she regained her voice. "Wh-what are you doing?" Rachel whisper, voice slightly broken.
The girl stopped her ministrations immediately upon hearing Rachel's voice. She slowly raised her head and allowed Rachel to turn around.
"Rachel Berry?" she said in shock, her eyes widened with shock.
Rachel unconsciously licked her lips at the sight of the girl's parted lips, knowing what they felt like against her skin.
"What the hell are you doing, Quinn?" Rachel demanded. Quinn's pupils were blown and she looked absolutely terrified. She stared at Rachel without answering before bolting off away from Rachel and away from the other three figures, leaving Rachel rooted to her spot in the middle of Lima.
What had just happened?
A/N: So this further sets things up, yeah? I hope I'm not confusing anyone with the POV switches. It's all third person, so technically it's not that important... but I do it anyway.
Just got done my spring break and now I'm back into school work and the like, but hopefully I'll still be able to update at least once a week or so. Review for feedback?