In spite of the night's events, the two still had to wake up early and head out to work the next morning. It was hard waking up, the night having stretched itself thin as they continued to stay awake, now clearly regretting the decision. The sun wasn't even up yet, the sky just starting to light with its early morning rays just barely poking over the horizon.
Neither of them talked as they left the apartment, Dianna holding onto his arm and leaning against him as they walked. They got to Chord's car and he opened the door for her, receiving a warm, shy smile from her that resembled when they had first started dating. The car ride started out just as silent, the rolling of tires on pavement joining with the quiet hum of the radio to be the only noises filling the car.
"What are we going to do?" He broke the silence, moving one hand from the steering wheel to cover hers. She looked over at him and then back out the window, watching the palm trees fly by them.
"I don't know."
When Chord and Dianna arrived at the studio, he pulled her into a gentle hug before they had to go their separate ways, kissing her forehead and moving in the direction of his trailer. She headed to wardrobe, greeted lightly by the girls who were working. She was the only one there, and she relished the silence for a while, scanning the rack of clothing for Quinn's latest outfit. Finding her character's nametag was easy, and she pulled on the hanger to reveal exactly what she hadn't been wanting to see-the Cheerios outfit. She groaned and slung the hanger over her shoulder, scanning the room for her shoes and jacket.
"Hey, what's wrong?" One of the girls from wardrobe, a spunky blonde with high spirits and an even higher level of attitude, came bounding over to Dianna when she saw her groan. Dianna turned and recognized her immediately. Her name was Carlie, and she was one of the nicer girls in wardrobe. She was the one that came over to fix the cheerio's outfits more than often, and Dianna was sure that that was her main job.
"Nothing, just a little down I guess. This outfit's not going to make me feel much better." Carlie rolled her eyes and handed Dianna her shoes.
"Oh please, you always look so great in it, what's so different about today?"
"It's a…long story. I'm guessing you'll hear soon enough."
"Trouble in paradise?"
"No. Wait…how the hell did you find out about us?"
"Easy enough." She scoffed and puffed up her chest in an action of mock self-centeredness. "Don't worry though, I'm just amazing at picking up subtlety. Nobody else knows, I don't think."
"Good." She paused for a minute, scanning the outfit in her hands in distaste. She had woken up feeling a bit lack-luster, the news making her feel as though she'd already gained all of the weight she'd have to gain soon enough. The morning led to body-image issues she normally didn't have-she had always been thin, it was in her genes-but today it was as if the whole floor shook when she walked, heads turning as they felt the vibrations of her feet against the linoleum of the dressing room. Dianna knew she had to shake the feeling off; she still had to wear the uniform, and she'd probably be wearing it until her very last day on the show. If anything, the uniform was a blessing. She still had her job, even though she knew her days were now numbered.
She reluctantly slipped the uniform on, thankful she wasn't showing yet. The silver cross necklace was the last piece of her costume, and as soon as it was on she was transformed. Now she really knew how Quinn felt, the tight material of the cheerios uniform clinging to the wrong places while the seemingly comfortable sneakers pressed hard against the arch of her foot. Looking in the mirror, she no longer saw the confident starlet she had once been, only a pretty girl with confidence issues and a secret that would soon become too large to be kept.
A knock came upon the door of Dianna's trailer and she told whoever it was that it was open, still standing in front of the mirror as she tightened her tiny cheerio's ponytail. Another figure joined her in the mirror, standing behind her as she made mindless adjustments to her costume, frowning at her reflection. Instead of looking at himself, he watched her actions, sensing that she was off from her usual personality. Usually bubbly and outgoing, she was reserved today, muttering a quiet hello before returning to her task. As she moved to grab something he pulled her back, standing behind her with his hands on her shoulders.
"Alright, what's wrong?" She paused, avoiding his gaze in the mirror. Of course he had seen right through her, he had a sixth sense for this sort of thing. Chris Colfer was, at this point, annoyingly prophetic.
"What?"
"You told me once that the uniform made you really feel like Quinn Fabray, that you felt every ounce of her fearless confidence in you when you wore it. Clearly that confidence isn't with you today."
"Maybe I'm just feeling the other side of her today." She hadn't meant to snap, but her words bore a harsh undertone that made the lean boy step back a bit, shaking his head.
"That's how I know something is wrong. Everyone's always saying I have this sixth sense and while I am good at reading people, it's not about that. It's about knowing a person so well that seeing any sort of change in them feels off. You're confident, sweet, and you're always there for someone when they need you, even if you're busy when they ask you. You're always willing to just drop everything to help someone, now it's your turn to stop being so stubborn and let someone help you."
"It's a long story, Chris."
"I have time. Sit there and just tell me all of your problems Lady Di." She sniffled in attempts to hold back the tears his little speech brought her and complied, moving to the couch in her trailer. He pulled up a chair across from her and crossed his leg, draping his arm over the back of the chair. "Now what's the problem?" She turned away from him, reluctant to let her secret slip. She and Chord had promised to keep it a secret for a while longer, but she couldn't deny the fact that Chris was being a good friend to her, and she'd need more than just Chord to pull her through this. Chord was being more than what she needed, but she knew she couldn't act too different around him. People were starting to pick things up, especially with Carlie's admittance earlier that morning. If she couldn't always be around Chord, then having someone like Chris around would be her second choice. "I don't bite." He joked, trying to lighten the tension that had filled the room. He wasn't trying to make things awkward, he was only trying to make her feel better.
"So you know the ring I started wearing when I got back from Tennessee? The one I told everyone I just picked up in a little shop?" She held her hand out in case he forgot but he nodded, letting his eyes linger on the sparkling diamond. "Well Chord got it for me. It's a promise ring." Chris put his hand on his heart and smiled wide, holding her hand and looking at the ring in a whole new light.
"That's so sweet! So wait, what's wrong with that?"
"Well since he got back from Tennessee we've sort of been living together. And dating. And….yeah. Anyway, I had been feeling crappy for a while so yesterday when he went out to get something I stayed home and it hit me. So I took a test, and…" She couldn't bring herself to say the words out loud. She had only said them once, when she had told Chord last night. Chris caught the meaning though, his eyes growing wide and trailing to her stomach against his own will. She looked down and covered it, suddenly feeling more self-conscious than she had been before.
"What happened? What did he say?"
"He said he'd be there for me, he was really sweet about the whole thing. But I can't be around him 24/7, people are already starting to talk."
"Well, it's a good thing you have me now." She cracked a smile and he pulled her into a hug as she laughed, feeling a lot better than he had that morning. "Now go and be the Quinn Fabray we all know and love."
"This should be easy, I'm more like her than most people know." She winked at him and then turned to leave, stopping when she realized she had forgotten something. "Thanks Chris." He nodded and let her be on her way, ready to take on the job of a best friend.