Chapter 14: Twink or not
Chapter song: "Milord" – Édith Piaf
Time: October

It was raining heavily when Quinn's car rolled up in front of the mall. Damn it, she thought as she had spent half an hour curling her hair that day. It was Saturday noon and she was meeting Kurt, Blaine and Rachel for lunch.

She pulled the key out of the ignition and put it in her handbag. Then she opened the glove compartment, hoping to find something useful in there. She searched around for a little while, and then she pulled out her old Marimekko umbrella. It was red with a large pink flower pattern and actually fit pretty well with the dark green dress, she was wearing. Her dress had three quarter sleeves, but it only went up to an inch above her knees. She knew it was a little daring for an October day, but she figured she wouldn't really be outside.

She put on her black sweater, opened the car door, opened the umbrella just outside the car, and then she stepped out. She began walking towards the mall but freaked out a little about the rain drops making such a loud noise upon the umbrella, so she quickly started to run the rest of the way up to the entrance.

When she got inside, she looked around at the bottom floor of the mall, when she heard someone call her name.

"Quinn!" It was Rachel, who was eagerly waving at her. She was sitting at a table across from Kurt and Blaine.

Quinn smiled, waved her hand and then closed her umbrella as she approached her friends.

"Hi guys," she said sitting down.

"Well, don't you look stylish today," Kurt said. "Very Jackie O."

"Thank you, have you ordered yet?"

"No, not yet."

They called the waiter and ordered four salads. Then Blaine asked the girls about their summer, when Kurt interrupted him.

"Sorry, but we have a more important matter to discuss."

Both Rachel and Quinn looked just as confused as Blaine, so Kurt rolled his eyes and hollered: "Augustin Prideax, mesdames et monsieur!"

"Oh, Quinn's boyfriend?" Blaine asked, as Kurt had already told him a little bit.

"Not my boyfriend," Quinn snarled while rolling her eyes.

"He just acts like it," Rachel said smilingly.

"Have you kissed yet?" Blaine asked.

"No," Quinn answered. "Not really." But we've done something that's far worse, at least according to my mother.

"Well, does he want to kiss you?"

Quinn opened her mouth as she was just about to answer, but then paused since she had no idea how to reply to that.

"Well?" Rachel said.

"Excuse me, isn't anyone at this table interested in my expertise knowledge?" Kurt asked before Quinn could muster up an answer.

"Sorry sweetie," Blaine grinned. "Do tell."

"You've figured him out?" Quinn asked sounding impressed.

"Actually… I kept thinking I had, yes, but then he'd do something completely unexpected and I'd start all over again."

The waitress came with their plates, and the four of them began eating as Kurt continued with his analysis.

"At first when I saw him at the Glee club meeting, I was convinced that he was straight. I mean, no gay guy would comb his hair like that with such a humongous nose."

Rachel immediately looked hurt, but Kurt knowing Rachel as well as he did, said right away: "Stop it, Rach, you're beautiful."

She kind of giggled and Kurt continued.

"But then I noticed his clothes. His shirt was ironed to perfection and his shoes were so clean."

Quinn chuckled when she thought about Gus' bright red All Stars.

"Then I watched him throughout the class: his movements were so… dainty, almost like a dancer's,"

"I thought that too, the first time I met him," Quinn interposed.

"But then again, he was constantly looking at you, Q, and he kept leaning into you and whispering things to you, just like the two of you were a couple. And then there was the whole cross-thing, which just confused me even more."

"Yeah, about that…" Rachel said turning to face Quinn. "What happened to your cross."

"Love the new necklace, by the way," Kurt said. "Très chic."

"Thanks Kurt." Quinn cleared her throat as she reached for her Eiffel tower. "I bought this in Paris this summer and, I don't know, I guess after my mom kicked my dad out I haven't really been as interested in God or in Jesus or whatever."

Kurt faked a dramatically shocked expression.

"Don't get me wrong, I still go to church every Sunday and I like to be part of that community, but I guess I'm just not really interested in shoving my religion up in everyone's faces anymore," she murmured.

"You've changed quite a bit since last year, haven't you?" Kurt asked.

Why do I keep hearing that, Quinn thought as she finished her lunch.

"So there I was in Glee rehearsal having absolutely no clue if the European boy sitting in front of me was a twink or not…"

"Twink? Really?" Blaine asked, obviously amused by his boyfriend's jargon.

"… and the next thing I know, the two of you are standing out in the hallway, him pushing you up against the locker and kissing you," Kurt said in a teasing tone.

Quinn rolled her eyes.

"So you have kissed him?" Rachel asked with wide eyes.

"No, he pecked me on the cheek," Quinn hissed.

"Yes, while rubbing his groin against you and feeling you up," Kurt continued while laughing.

"No, it wasn't like that at all!" Quinn bellowed slightly annoyed. Or was it? Am I just being totally ignorant to his signals?

"So when I took him back to the choir room, I was convinced that he was playing for the, uh, the non-opposite team…"

"… but?" Blaine asked curiously raising his eyebrows.

"… but then I heard him humming in the school toilet yesterday..."

Rachel, Quinn and Blaine all looked at him expectantly.

"…while he was peeing…"

Rachel groaned.

"…Édith Piaf's…"

Quinn face palmed.

"…"Milord"."

The four of them looked at each other and then burst into laughter.

"He may be French and all, but that's simply too much!" Blaine bellowed as he wiped his eyes for the tears of laughter.

When they had finished laughing, Rachel asked the waitress for the bill and then turned to Quinn.

"How's the tutoring going, any news there?"

"Well actually," Quinn began and the rest of the party pricked up their ears. "During our last session-"

"Cough, make-out session, cough" Kurt coughed.

Quinn gave him a death stare but chose not to comment upon it. "-I told him about Beth."

Their smiles faded a bit as they knew this was somewhat a tender topic for Quinn to talk about.

"He didn't know about it?" Rachel asked.

"I think he might have overheard something in the locker room, but I don't think he knew all the details, so I told him everything."

"Wow," Kurt said. "You feel close enough to him to do that?"

"Well, it was kind of a sensitive moment. We'd just watched "Sabrina" and he was telling me things about myself that I wasn't ev-"

""Sabrina" as in the Audrey Hepburn-movie?" Kurt asked. "Oh gosh, if he sat through that, he must really love you."

The waitress came with the bill and they all put down a couple of notes.

"My point is, he heard about what I have been through, yet he didn't make a move on me. Usually when guys hear that I got knocked up sophomore year by my boyfriend's best friend, they think I'm slutty or easy or whatever and they immediately try to get their way with me."

Quinn's hand was resting on her chair and Rachel gently put her own hand on top of Quinn's.

"Seriously?" Blaine asked, a little shocked at how the boys at McKinley behaved towards girls. He knew how badly some of them – or one of them – had treated Kurt, but that was because he was different and Blaine figured those Neanderthals were just plain scared. What Quinn was telling him now sounded too crazy to be true.

"Yeah, most of them do..." Sam didn't, she thought. He just complimented me and called me brave. "…but Gus comforted me when I told him. He calmed me down and he even let me fall asleep on his chest."

"I think most guys wouldn't mind that, Quinn" Rachel said quietly, still resting her hand upon Quinn's.

"No, most guys wouldn't mind the idea of having a girl sleeping on them. But most guys would mind having a sobbing and snoring chick drooling on their shirts." Quinn said as the boys stood up and put on their coats.

"It sounds like he cares about you, but not really in a sexual way. Isn't it possible that he just wants to be your friend?" Blaine asked

"Oh, honey." Kurt said while padding his boyfriend's shoulder.

"Not when you look like Quinn," Rachel said.

"Not when you're a teenage girl," Quinn corrected her.

"What do I know. Kurt and I are going to visit my parents, so we have to leave you two lovely ladies."

Quinn and Rachel stood up and hugged the boys. When Blaine hugged Quinn, he silently whispered in her ear: "If he confuses you so much, then just treat him like you'd treat a friend. Not a gay friend, not a straight friend, just simply a friend."

Then Kurt took his hand and they walked towards the exit.

"Do you have to be somewhere?" Rachel asked.

"No, I can stay a little while longer," Quinn said as she sat down.

Rachel went around the table and sat down, so they were facing each other. They ordered two cups of coffee and paid for them right away.

"I have to admit," Rachel said, sounding a tad nervous. "I was a little disappointed you didn't tell me about you tutoring Gus."

"I know," Quinn said. "I'm sorry, but I knew how it sounded and I didn't like it. And fact is Rachel, I do trust you, but I also expect you to tell Finn most of the things you hear."

"Well yeah, I do, he is my boyfr-"

"Exactly," Quinn interrupted. "And knowing Finn, I'm pretty sure he's going to tell Sam. It seems like they've grown closer."

Rachel suddenly felt a little guilty, remembering that Finn actually had been the one to tell Sam that Gus and Quinn had been hanging out after school.

"I understand. However, I want you to know that if you tell me something and tell me not to tell Finn, then I won't. You have my word."

"Really?" Quinn asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Yes. I like to be friends with you, Quinn. I know we've had our fair share of fights, but I like hanging out with you. So if you want me to keep a secret, I will… even from Finn."

"Thanks Rach, that's really nice of you. And I like hanging out with you too." Quinn smiled.

The waitress came with their coffees and they sat in silence for a while enjoying the warm scent.

"You did a great job at last rehearsal," Rachel said. "I didn't know the song, but it sounded really good.

"Thanks," Quinn said, sipping her coffee as she thought about the last Glee club meeting. Then she remembered how it had ended. I hope that's not what Rachel is thinking ab-

"But what happened with you after Sam and Mercedes' performance?"

Bingo, Quinn thought. That's why she told me I could trust her. She may be my friend, but she's still Rachel Berry.

"Uhm, that depends, how much did you see?" Quinn said quietly.

"Nothing really, except you and Gus kind of ran off together. And then it looked like Sam was going to run after you, -"

Wait, what?

"-and then Kurt said something about the two of you meeting Miss P, -"

Sam did what?

"-and the next thing I hear is that you were making out in the hallway."

"Sam?" Quinn asked absentmindedly.

"Uh, no. You and Gus, Quinn. Kurt just said that you had been kissing in the hallway."

"Oh. That. We didn't kiss though,"

"I know you told me that as well like half an hour ago. Seriously what's wrong?"

Quinn sighed and decided that she might as well be frank if the two of them were going to be friends. She might have made peace with Mercedes, but she knew she wouldn't be able to confess to her as she'd been able to earlier. If I want to stop feeling so damn lonely, I need to quit shoving people away because of my pride. With that she licked her lips and began to talk.

"The reason why I left the choir room so suddenly was that I was upset…"

Rachel nodded.

"…because of Mercedes and Sam's performance."

"Mercedes told me that you were okay with the two of them. She told me that you had made up."

"We have made up and if Mercedes asks you can't tell her this!" Quinn said seriously.

"O-okay,"

"I don't know why it happened, but when I saw them perform, the way he was looking at her, I felt like somebody had put a knife through my chest." She let a hand go through her curly hair. "I guess it was kind of an anxiety-attack or something. I couldn't breathe and I couldn't think and I couldn't move. The next thing I know I'm standing in the hallway and Gus is hugging me and calming me down."

Rachel took Quinn's hand. "Oh Quinn, I'm so sorry. I wish I'd noticed so I could have helped you."

"Don't be sorry, Rach. I'm fine now. Gus was there for me and it was kind of nice that it was someone who didn't know that much about my, uh, dating history." She smiled at the brunette.

"It sounds like Gus really cares about you."

"I think he does, and I've grown really fond of him."

"I know he might be gay, but if he isn't, do you want to be with him?"

Quinn paused for a moment. "No. I'm pretty sure I don't. However, the problem is that I don't why I don't want to be with him."

"I understand you," Rachel said. "He's going back to France in less than a year and then you're probably never going to see him again."

"It's not that," Quinn mumbled noticing how Rachel's word stung a bit. She's right. He's only going to be here until next summer. Am I never going to see him again then? "It's just that… I'm not sure if I don't want to be with Gus because of, well Gus, or if I don't want to be with him because of…" she paused for a moment, thinking here it goes. "… Sam."

"Sam?" Rachel asked a little surprised. "Y-you think that you don't want to be with Gus… because of Sam?"

"I don't know," Quinn cried. "I just get so confused when I constantly see him and Mercedes snuggling up to each other. They look so freaking happy and I can't even bitch about it because Mercedes is my friend!"

"Well, if Sam and Mercedes broke up tomorrow and you wouldn't have to worry about Mercedes' feelings… would you try to get Sam back?"

"No." Yes I would. "I don't know." Liar. Three days ago I said I loved him.

"Wow, you really are confused," Rachel murmured.

"Look, can we talk about something else?"

"Yeah, sure."

Quinn took a long sip of her coffee and then asked "So how's it going with you and Finn?"

"It's going great."

"You spent your summer together?"

"Yeah, we just hung out. We're having so much fun with each other. You know after knowing each other for so long, I think we've figured out what annoys the other person so we just, you know, try to avoid that and then we just enjoy our time together."

"You seem really happy," Quinn said as she emptied her coffee.

"We are. It's funny, it seems so serious now that he's 18 and… well, I'll turn 18 in a couple of months. I know I'm still his high school sweetheart, but from December 18th we'll be two grown-ups in a committed relationship. And when we're 30 we might be looking back at these years and say 'oh yeah, were high school sweethearts'," she giggled shyly as she finished her coffee. "I have to go now, I'm meeting Finn later."

"Okay sure."

They grabbed their sweaters and headed towards the exit, when Quinn stopped at the escalators.

"Where are you going?" Rachel asked.

"I think I'm going to stick around, I kind of need to find something."

"Oh, okay then." Rachel hugged her and hurried out to her car, as Quinn got on the escalators.

As she was approaching the first floor, she thought about the brunette's final words as her mind began to wander.

So if Rachel considers Finn to be her high school sweetheart, who am I going to call my high school sweetheart when I'm 30? Finn is taken so… Puck? God, I hope not. Sam? I'd like to, but he'll probably say Mercedes, so that won't work.

She got off the escalator and onto the second one.

You can't have more than one high school sweetheart… can you? Who the hell goes through high school with just one boyfriend or girlfriend? That's so unrealistic, we are ticking hormonal bombs. Maybe it's just the last one that counts as your sweetheart – Rachel sure seems to think so. Then what if you're single when you graduate, then you don't have a high school sweetheart. Too bad.

She reached the second floor and got off.

I wonder if Mr. Schue had more than one girlfriend in high school besides that awful baby stealing Mrs. Schu-… she's probably not called that anymore. It feels like ages ago that crazy woman contacted me. And her psychopathic sister. I'm so glad Beth didn't end up with them. Hopefully she's happy with Rachel's mother. I can't believe she's already a year and a half. I really want to see her. I think.

She stopped as she reached the jewelry department, where she slowly began to examine the large selection of pearls.

But what would I say to her? 'Hi, I'm your mother. Your father? Oh, he was my high school sweetheart. Well actually no, he was your non-biological-mother's firstborn child's high school sweetheart. Oh, you mean your real father? He is…' what? Zizes' high school sweetheart? Can't be, they aren't together anymore, he's with that junior girl, Maya whats-her-name. 'Oh, you want to know who my high school sweetheart is. Well, I have no freaking clue since I tend to cheat on every boy who loves me!'… maybe Gus? Maybe.

She was still completely lost in her own thoughts standing in front of a small Tiffany's department, when she heard a voice call her name.

"Quinnie?"

She recognized that voice immediately. She would have recognized it anywhere.

She looked up and a little blonde girl in a blue coat came running towards her. She jumped into Quinn's arms and Quinn lifted her up and kissed her on the forehead. They both squealed.

"Oh my god, Stacey, I've missed you so much! How have you been?" Quinn asked still hugging the little girl tightly.

"Hmm, okay, but I miss you a lot."

It wasn't until then that Quinn realized Stacey probably wasn't there alone. She put the little girl down, looked up and saw Stacey's two big brothers standing in front of them. One of them looked very happy to see her, the other one looked like he wanted to dig a hole and bury himself in it.

Unfortunately for Quinn, it was Stevie who was happy to see her.

Thank you for reading!
Can you guess which blonde boy a certain blonde girl is going to have to face now? No more pussyfooting, this is it. The story is not over yet though, there'll be plenty more drama! It might just take a different direction from now on.
My darling readers, I cannot thank you enough for all of your kind reviews on the last two chapters. I find it difficult to write Judy Fabray, but you guys are so assuring and encouraging! Thank you! I apologize for the slow up-date, I will try and make the next one more rapidly. Especially with the cliff-hanger I've left you with :) Grüss gott!