Hey there, I'm so glad you guys liked the story so far.
Fun fact #1: when I was originally planning this story, I wanted it to be completely on the serious side, but as I started writing, I realized that couldn't happen. That said, there will be a good deal of serious moments throughout the story. I plan on the plot getting pretty intense, but I hope to make it just as funny for you as the past three. Was it really pretty hilarious? I wasn't trying too hard with that...hopefully I can keep it up.
So, this chapter shows that the entire story will not take place in the car. In fact, most of the story won't be in the car. As the main plotlines start kicking in, there will be a lot of time spent outside the vehicle.
Fun fact #2: while writing this chapter, I nearly choked on scrambled eggs. Haha...
Well, read and review, enjoy the story!
Disclaimer: If I owned Glee, I would've fulfilled all my needs in life and would have dropped out of school. Unfortunately, I remain in school, and my needs are unfulfilled...
Watch as the male tiger circles the tigress in a seemingly threatening manner. She roars invitingly, and he responds by mounting his mate. He then proceeds to –
"Okay! That's enough Animal Planet for tonight, Britt. Let's find something else to do!" Quinn suggested.
"Aww, but it was just getting interesting! See, now the big cats are playing leap frog!"
Quinn quickly grabbed the remote from Brittany and turned off the hotel's television.
"Phew!" she said with relief. "Well…now that that's done with…Indianapolis isn't half bad, this motel room is pretty nice!" Quinn looked around the two-bed one-bath room, and then at her fellow female Glee clubbers, dressed in their pajamas. Santana was braiding Tina's hair (a sight that, a month ago, nobody would have believed), Mercedes and Rachel were gossiping silently about something, and Brittany's attention had been suddenly stolen by the bible she found in the dresser.
"Hey San, check out this Jesus dude, he sounds pretty cool! He can talk to that man in the sky!"
"Britt, I'm going to say this because I care about you…you need help," Santana said straightforwardly, then completed the braid in Tina's hair. "There! That was fun! Don't even think about taking it out and making me do it again or I'll drop-kick you back to China." Tina laughed, knowing the racist comment was simply a joke.
"Guys, shouldn't we be getting to bed?" Quinn proposed, "I wanted to take off early tomorrow!"
"Quinn, relax!" Mercedes assured the former Cheerio captain, "We have more than two weeks to get Tina to her audition, and according to this MapQuest thing, it would only take a day and a half to get there! This is vacation time, so enjoy it!"
"Fine, fine, whatever you say. So…who's up for a game of truth or dare?"
Quinn wondered if the boys in the other motel room were going to have this much fun…
"Oh hot damn! Those tigers are totally getting it on! Check it out, Finn! That was me and your mom last night, oh!"
"Puck, grow up!" Finn scolded.
"Whatever. Gah, I hate Quinn's stupid rule of separating the boys and girls. What did she think was going to happen?"
"Hmm, I don't know, Noah," Kurt said with sarcasm as he performed his nightly face-moisturizing routine in front of the sink, "God forbid you get someone pregnant!"
"Hey, shut it, Hummel!"
"I'm just being honest. And besides, I'm not too happy with this rule, either."
"Guys, quit complaining, I'm trying to watch Animal Planet!" Finn said, sitting in a crisscross applesauce position on the king-size bed and watching the show. "Aww, look at the baby tiger cub!"
"Finn, I no longer think of you as a man," Puck stated. "Damn, it's boring in here…I wonder what the chicks are up to…"
"Okay, Rachel, truth or dare?" Mercedes asked eagerly.
"Dare!" She answered, "Wait, no! Truth! Wait…yeah, truth!"
"Okay…" Tina started, "so, let me think...I got one! Have you and Finn ever…you know…?"
"Uh…no, I don't think I know…"
"You know, done it!"
"Done what?"
Santana butted it, "She's asking if you and Finn ever had sex, smart one."
Quinn raised an eyebrow.
"Oh! That!" Rachel laughed innocently.
"So? What's your answer?" Mercedes asked.
"Well…hehe…"
"You can't be serious!" Quinn glared at Rachel and stood up. Everyone's expression immediately changed as they looked toward Quinn. "Do you even realize the consequences of something like this? You could get pregnant! You don't want to go through what I did!"
"…So what if I get pregnant?" Rachel climbed to her feet to defend herself. "At least it's actually with the person I'm dating!"
"He got me drunk, it wasn't my fault!"
"But then you went and lied about it to Finn! Do you know what you put him through!"
"And how would he even know if you weren't lying! You aren't exactly innocent! You've dated like every guy in Glee club! How do we know you didn't sleep with one of them!"
"It hasn't been every guy, and I don't sleep around, like you! I'm not a slut, like you!"
"Take that back! For the last time, he got me drunk!"
"Like we're going to believe that!"
Then, Quinn slapped Rachel, but before Rachel could attack her in return, Tina and Mercedes held her back.
"Rachel, stop!" Tina pleaded, trying to contain a struggling Rachel. "This is supposed to be a vacation, don't ruin it with a fight! It's not worth it!" Rachel quit trying to break free of their grip and just gave Quinn her iciest possible look.
"I'm done with this." Quinn started for the door, but Santana made a move to follow her. "Don't!" She held up her hand. "Just leave me alone." She stepped outside into the rainy night and slammed the door behind her.
Santana turned to Rachel. "What the hell is wrong with you!"
"Me! She's the one who started arguing with me!"
"And she had a good reason! You know what? I don't even want to deal with this right now. I'm going to bed." Santana crawled on one of the two beds. "Make yourself comfortable on the floor!"
"Oh, don't expect me to sleep on the floor!" Rachel jumped onto the other bed and pulled the covers over her head.
Mercedes and Tina stood awkwardly in the middle of the room.
"Can we at least have some pillows?" Mercedes asked, a question which was met with four pillows from both beds to her face. "Um…thanks…?"
"So…what do we do now?" Tina asked.
"Hey, did you guys know this Jesus person can walk on water? Sweet!" Brittany still had her nose buried in the bible.
"…I'm going to bed. Don't wake me up too early." Mercedes found a spot on the floor, dropped a couple of the pillows there, and laid down. Tina found her own section of carpet and followed suit.
Matt stepped outside the motel room and toward the parking lot. His steps were rapid in an effort to get out of the rain quickly. He opened the driver-side door, and reached in to get his phone which he had forgotten early, but he nearly screamed when he saw a certain blonde teenager in tears sitting in the passenger seat.
"Holy...Quinn? What are you doing here?"
"Oh, haha, hey Matt. You should really learn to lock your doors."
"Yeah, I should…are you okay?"
"Yeah, it's just been a rough night…"
Matt crawled into the car and shut the door behind him. "I'm here if you want to talk."
"Actually, that would make me feel better…" Quinn admitted. She explained what had happened between her and Rachel, and how Rachel had slept with Finn.
"And you actually slapped her!" Matt's jaw dropped. "Well, I don't really blame you…but what got you so emotional about it in the first place?"
Quinn shook her head and sighed. "All this drama with the baby and stuff really changed me. It brought me closer to the entire Glee club, even Rachel. Rachel's the one who convinced me to love the Glee club, because nobody else would. So, I really didn't want anyone to make the same mistake as me. It made my life hell for a decent amount of time…so when I found out about Finn and Rachel, I was really worried that she might have to go through the same thing. I highly doubt she's pregnant, but it could happen to anyone, you know? I guess I'm just being overprotective or something. But now I'm sure Rachel hates me, and Tina and Mercedes might not be too cool with me, either…"
"I doubt that! Rachel will realize sooner or later that you did what you did because you care. And I'm sure you and Mercedes are close enough of friends for her to understand, too. I'm not sure about Tina, though…but listen; you meant well. They will understand."
"You think so?"
Matt nodded his head. "I know so!"
"…Thanks, Matt. You really know how to cheer a person up! But I do have one question: why are you here?"
"I forgot my phone in the car. That, and Puck and Finn are being really weird and annoying. Puck won't stop telling us how bored he is, and I think Finn is becoming an animal rights activist…"
"Wow, that's…just wow…"
Quinn and Matt laughed. Suddenly, the splattering of rain on the window died down until it disappeared completely for the first time in days.
"Now that was cool," Quinn said.
"You bet," Matt agreed. They looked out the window and up into the sky to see all the gloomy clouds had vanished, unveiling thousands upon thousands of shimmering stars accompanied by a luminous crescent moon. Matt couldn't help but think that this night would be amazingly romantic...if he were with that one special person…
A few moments passed before Matt broke the peaceful silence: "Well, I should probably get back. The guys are probably wondering why I've been gone so long…if they've even noticed."
"Yeah, I'll do the same. Hey, thanks for listening to my problems. It really helped."
"Of course, no problem."
The two got out of the vehicle (this time, Matt locked the doors), said goodnight, and headed back to their respective rooms to go to bed.
The next morning went smoother than the previous night. With the rain having stopped the night before, the sky was a stunning azure.
Rachel had ignored Quinn when she returned to the room last night, and Santana was busy ignoring Rachel, Mercedes, and Tina. Like predicted, Quinn and Mercedes were still close friends, whereas she and Tina were still indifferent. Brittany was as clueless as ever, but loving her new bible.
The morning was eventless but full of tension. The six girls woke up around nine o'clock and got ready with little conversation. The boys did the same and the dozen teens left by ten.
Quinn persuaded Mike to sit in the other car so she and Matt could expand on their newfound friendship. This time, Matt and Quinn, Finn and Santana, and Puck and Artie were in the minivan while Mercedes and Rachel, Tina and Brittany, and Mike and Kurt were in the other car. After stopping at Denny's for breakfast, they were back on the road and headed toward Illinois.
In Mercedes' car, Rachel was going off about how wrong Quinn was to slap her, Brittany was reading out loud the bible she had stolen from the hotel (ironic, right?), and Kurt and Mike sat in the back in silence, probably because the two never really talked before.
An hour passed in the car, Rachel was still putting in her two cents about what happened, Brittany was still reading the bible to a now sleeping Tina, and Kurt and Mike still sat in silence.
Mike's mind wandered, thinking about how annoying both Rachel and Brittany were, how his best friend was doing in the other car, why exactly Quinn wanted to sit next to Matt, and why he felt jealous he wasn't in Quinn's spot right now. Then, a question suddenly popped into his mind that he just had to get out.
"Hey, Kurt, how did you first know you were gay?"
Kurt, taken aback by this question, looked at Mike with confusion. Mike looked back with inquiring eyes, leading Kurt to realize he wasn't joking. Kurt hesitated a bit before answering: "Well…I sort of always knew…"
"Like, how? From when you were born?"
"Not really…it was when I first started caring about relationships…when I was old enough to be attracted to certain people. In fact, my first huge crush was on…" Kurt looked to the front to make sure the others weren't listening, but they were too busy being either annoying or annoyed to pay any attention. "…it was on Finn."
"Really? I wouldn't have guessed…but I'm slow like that, so…yeah…"
Kurt chuckled. "So, why did you need to know?"
"Uh…no reason…" Mike looked away awkwardly. Kurt smirked.
"You like him, don't you?"
"What? Him? Who? Why? No!" Mike spit out all his questions almost at once.
"You like Matt, don't you?" Kurt whispered cautiously. This time, Mike didn't answer, but his face flushed red. "So…what are you going to do about it?"
"I…I don't know…I'm just…confused."
"Don't worry; the confusion phase will pass in time. And don't think that you're going through this alone. You have all of us. I understand, and I'm sure the rest of the Glee club will, too."
"Thanks, Kurt…but…I think I'm going to keep this on the down-low for now…I still want to figure this all out."
"That's perfectly fine. Let me know when you're ready."
"Will do."
In Matt's car, the only two people talking were Matt and Quinn. Everyone else just didn't care about bonding.
"So Coach Sylvester got really pissed and banned sandwiches with tomatoes from Cheerio practice forever!" Quinn finished telling a story, and Matt cracked up with laughter.
"So…" Matt started, wiping away a tear and trying to contain his laughter. "…are you going to be a Cheerio next year?" Quinn's face fell from sheer amusement to a gaze of supposition.
"Honestly…I haven't thought about it much…I doubt Couch Sylvester will want me on the team after kicking me off from…you know…" Matt nodded his head understandingly. "So I guess…my time will be devoted to Glee club next year."
"Glee club's pretty cool, though, so I think you'll be all right."
"Yeah, I hope…" Quinn looked out the window. They were somewhere in Illinois, and on either side of the baron road were towering trees. They had been in this forest for an hour and haven't seen any other cars. She wondered what it would be like to live here: quiet, peaceful, no one to stir up drama. She wouldn't have to worry about anything here.
"Hey, am I seeing things…?" Matt said, glancing at the gas gauge in disbelief. Quinn looked: the arrow was rested on the big 'E'.
"No…I see it, too…" Quinn said. "Puck, didn't you fill up the car with gas last time we stopped?"
"Me? Oh…was I supposed to do that?"
"Puck!" Matt yelled, "I asked you to do that! I even reminded you a second time!"
"Well, obviously that wasn't enough for me!" Puck justified.
The engine began to cough until it sputtered out completely, and the car slowed to a stop. Mercedes' car, which had been in front by only several yards, responded by slowing down and coming to a stop as well. Mercedes hopped out to see what the problem was. Matt and Quinn stepped out to explain.
"Puck's an idiot," Matt started.
"Hey, you're the one who trusted me with something that important!" Puck defended as he stepped out of the vehicle.
"He forgot to fill up the minivan with gas!" Quinn explained.
"So now what? Are we seriously stranded in the middle of a forest?" Santana complained, having joined the party out on the street as well.
"On the contrary," Mercedes said, "only Matt's car is stranded in the middle of a forest. My car was filled up by the one-and-only trustworthy Mike, so we can actually keep driving." By now, the entire Glee club had joined the scene to check out what was going on.
"I don't mean to brag but…I'm pretty badass like that," Mike gloated.
Tina pulled out the MapQuest papers. "According to this, we're only twenty miles from the next city. Maybe we could find a tow truck or something."
"Yeah, Tina's got a point. How about I drive down to the next city, find someone, and come back for you guys?"
"You're just going to leave us here!" Santana protested.
"Well, I can't fit all of you into my car, you know! It only sits six people max!"
Santana crossed her arms and scowled. Mercedes turned to Mike.
"Do you mind switching seats with Santana so she won't be a drama queen?"
Mike looked over at Kurt, who nodded subtly and understandingly and smiled.
"Yeah, no problem," Mike answered.
"Thanks. Now, if y'all will excuse us, I'm going to take off now, unless you want to stay here until night." Mercedes and her group, including Santana, headed back to her car after Tina and Artie, and Rachel and Finn, bid a rather histrionic farewell.
"I don't know about you, but I'm getting back in the car before some wild animal attacks me," Puck said, returning to the immobile automobile.
"Aww, is the great Noah Puckerman really afraid of some fuzzy little creatures?" Finn teased, but he followed him anyway, as did the other guys and Quinn.
"For some reason, I don't expect them to come back anytime soon…" Quinn said…
"You have to trust them," Matt said, "We're depending on them now. They'll be fine."
"Yeah, I guess you're right…"
Not as much humor in this chapter, and I'm not so confident about that aspect in the next chapter, either. Chapter six is looking to be pretty funny, though, and on top of that, it will be the first major plot...event...thing...
Fun fact #3: I have recently fallen in love with the pairing Brittany/Santana, and while I may not make it totally obvious, I want to strongly hint at it in the future, but I want to know what you guys think. So please please please, in your reviews, tell me what you thought about the chapter, and also tell me your favorite pairings for all the characters, other than ones involving Mike and Matt, because as you've probably noticed, that pairing is set. Of course, not everyone has to be paired with someone, and in the end, that might just be how it plays out. But leave your thoughts in reviews, please!
Reviews give me inspiration to write, so if you review, the chances for me to update in less than a week will increase by anywhere between 26% and 68%. Well...I'm not sure about the math on that one...whatever, review!
One more thing! In the first chapter, I showed that Tina landed an audition for an "upcoming musical movie." If one of you can guess what that movie is, I'll work in a cameo appearance for a character based off of the winner who guessed it. (I know, you all must be jumping up and down and clapping your hands in excitement right now...) So that's just something to think about.
So, what are you waiting for? Review!
Chapter Four - Tensions