13. Forever Young

The day had finally arrived. Quinn stood at the white panelled window in the deserted cafeteria watching the fir trees on the opposite side of the football field sway in the breeze. She watched as her classmates milled around each other on the field, laughing and embracing. She felt a sense of nostalgia wash over her, mixing with the heavy, sickening feeling of dread she already felt. She took a shallow breath in through her nose and exhaled through her mouth.

The feel of small hands gripping the gown hanging over her waist startled her.
'Don't move or I'll shoot.' She heard from just behind her ear in that familiar voice.
A calming smile found her lips. Without turning she just knew who it was. 'Hey Diva…'
The hands dropped from her waist. 'How did you know it was me?' Came a small and slightly pathetic whine.
Quinn turned and the diva stood below her, a pink bottom lip protruding. She put her hands at the top of the smaller girl's arms and kissed her forehead. 'Call it…intuition.' She smiled down at Rachel with a sparkle in her eyes.
'What are you doing in here anyway…? Why don't you come outside with the rest of us, I was looking everywhere for you!' She huffed.
She took her hands away from her girl's arms and glanced back towards the window. 'I'll be out soon.'
The diva tried to reach out for her hand. 'Why don't you just come out now? Noah and the guys are wondering where you are…'
She recoiled her hand. 'You go on ahead, tell them I'm fine. I'll be out soon.'
'But the ceremony is starting soon…' Rachel whined.
She definitely didn't need reminding of that. Her tummy flip-flopped at the thought. 'Exactly, so you should go get your seat…'
The divas eyes started to slowly fill with little tears. 'Oh my god…' She said in a small voice.
She looked down and noticed the divas eyes. 'Baby are you okay…? Are you cr…'
The diva looked straight up at her. 'You're not graduating are you…?' She said slowly. 'That's why you've been acting so weird lately…'
Quinn's brows furrowed, and then she tilted her head back letting out a guffawing laugh. As the taller girl's shoulders shook in amusement the smaller girl looked at her confused.
'What's so funny…? Not graduating isn't exactly funny Quinn…' A small foot stomped.
'No…' The blonde girl choked out through a laugh. 'No, it's not that!'
The smaller girl stood with her hands in small fists by her sides. 'Then what is it?'
She placed her hands back on the girl's shoulders and placed a chaste kiss on her indignant mouth before looking into her puppy-dog eyes. 'Just please baby, don't fight me on this. Just go take your seat and I'll explain everything later, okay?'
She huffed after looking at Quinn's insistent face. '…Fine. I'll go. But you owe me Fabray.'
She smiled and kissed her girl a final time. 'Anything you want my lady.' She tilted her head towards the field. 'Now go.'
A smile crept to her lips. 'Anything…?'
Quinn simply winked in return.

Professor Adkins stepped up onto the wooden podium, placing his large hands either side of the stand. Rachel looked along the row of her fellow graduates, and saw that Quinn's seat was still empty. She bit at her bottom lip, hoping that whatever the hell was going on wasn't gonna stop Quinn attending her own graduation.

'Good afternoon Class of 2010...' Adkins began, the microphone echoing around the football field. 'You've finally reached the end of your time here at New York University, and today is the day that we all celebrate your individual achievements and your collective triumphs during your few years here with us. Today is your own special day for all of you to reminisce. As you know, as you're about to graduate, one of your professors has prepared a special speech for you all. But this year is a little different…'
Rachel had tuned out of Adkins' little introductory speech, still watching Quinn's empty chair wondering what the hell could be keeping her so long.
'…This year in addition to having a staff speaker. We also have a guest speaker, which you've all probably observed from your accompanying programs. So without further ado, Class of 2010, please help me in welcoming your guest speaker…Ms. Quinn Fabray…'
Adkins' voice echoed in Rachel's brain. Her head whipped around so fast it's surprising she didn't give herself whiplash.

But lo and behold, she wasn't hallucinating. Quinn's mesmerising hazel eyes found Rachel's bewildered face and she gave a small smirk in recognition. She shook Adkins' hand confidently as they shared a smile, and he whispered something in her ear. She hid a small folded up piece of paper in her right hand as she stepped up onto the podium which Adkins' had just occupied.
She took a low and shaky breath before kicking herself mentally. She brushed a single piece of blonde hair away from her pale face.

'Class of 2010…' She began with a high pitched squeal of feedback from the black microphone in front of her face. 'Class of 2010,' She tried again. 'I guess you're wondering why I'm standing up here. Honestly, I was too. But then I thought about it. I'm you. I'm all of you. I'm the geek, the jock, the popular kid, the cheerleader, the greaser, the average student. I'm who you are today. But tomorrow, you're gonna be someone different. You're not gonna be a college kid tomorrow. You're gonna be out in that wide world, and it's gonna be scary. But only if you let it. Each of you has two options. You can either go out into that scary world without the protection of this place and become overwhelmed, or you can go out fighting. Fighting for your dreams, fighting to find that wonder in the world that's out there – just waiting for you to discover. Whatever you decide to do my fellow graduates, just make sure it's something you love. If it's selling cars, starring in movies or simply flipping a burger – it doesn't matter. Now is the time to find what you love. And when you find that thing that you love…'
She looked straight at Rachel.
'…Whatever you do, don't let it go because if you always do something you love, you can never go wrong.

'Somewhere along the road, memories of this place will become hazy, you'll forget the names of the people sitting around you right now, when you try to tell your kids, maybe even your grandkids of your college adventures. I only have one wish for you Class of 2010. I hope none of you ever forget your dreams. Nurture them, hold on to them, just give them a chance. Sometimes things won't work out the way you hoped.' She shrugged emphatically. 'That happens in the real world. But, my fellow graduates, if there's one thing I wish you to remember, it's that everything will be okay in the end. If it's not okay, it's not the end.' She found Rachel's teary eyes again and smiled. 'Now at the risk of sounding like a major dork, in the words of Spock –Live long and prosper. Congratulations, Class of 2010.' She exhaled the long breath she didn't know she'd been holding and smiled. 'Looks like we made it.'

She closed her mouth, smiled and nodded to the frozen crowd before stepping down off the podium back onto the stage while everyone sat in a silent pause. As soon as she turned her back and looked down at her feet, she heard a single hoot. The hoot was followed by a vibrating thrum of what sounded like thunder. She turned, raising her head, keeping a hold of her black cap to see her classmates on their feet stomping, cheering and clapping. Her eyes surfed along the sea of beaming, howling faces to find the one face she needed to see. Her hazel eyes darted back and forth, and became increasingly discouraged when she failed to see that one solitary face.

She suddenly felt a large firm hand clap the back of her shoulder and she jumped slightly. Turning she saw Adkins' beaming face, closer than she'd ever seen it. She could smell the coffee that positively radiated from him. 'I knew you could do it Fabray.' He beamed, trying to speak over the continuing din. 'Now go have fun with your classmates.'
She smiled back at him and shook his warm hand. 'Thank you Sir.'
He ushered her off the stage as he took his spot back on the podium.

She descended down the few makeshift metal steps at the right hand side of the stage with a clang and was suddenly yanked roughly by the wrist to the right hand side, out of sight. When her eyes could focus properly, she found a mischievous brunette grinning up at her, pinning her to the back wall of the stage.
'Rach?' Quinn squealed before a small hand covered her mouth.
The smaller girl stood on the tips of her toes so her mouth brushed the shell of the blonde's ear.
She kept her voice low. 'If I knew you could talk like that…' She purred. 'I may have let you fuck me a long time ago…' She nipped the side of her ear.
Quinn closed her eyes and let out a squeaky moan muffled by the tanned palm.