Chapter 17: A Flower in the Wind
Chapter song: "On the street where you live" - Nat King Cole
Time: October
"Well, we haven't exactly been together yet," Anna said shyly and started pricking in her food with her fork.
"What do you mean, you ha-… Oh," Tina said, realizing what the girl sitting across the table from her had just told her.
The two girls along with Quinn were sitting in the canteen at McKinley High during their lunch break.
"It's not that I don't want to. I just don't know what to do when, you know, we're in the mood…"
When Quinn figured what they were talking about, she completely zoned out, not really interested in talking or hearing about that stuff.
"… I mean, what am I supposed to do with him? Should we just do it in his chair or what or should I ask his mom to help me move him."
Oh god, Quinn thought. Not over lunch. She was now fully showing off her HBIC-attitude and if Tina and Anna hadn't been completely occupied with the sex talk, they would most definitely have noticed. Just think about something else.
"Uh, Anna you probably shouldn't contact his parents when you're about to have intercourse with their son," Tina said. "I'm pretty sure that would be the biggest turn-off of the century for Artie."
"What did the two of you do when you were together?"
"We… we never actually were together like that. You should ask Brittany though."
"Ask me what?" the tall blonde girl asked, as she approached their table along with her girlfriend.
"Anna wants to sleep with Artie, but she doesn't know how to do it." Tina replied.
"Jeez, Tina, why don't you just tell the whole world?"
The Asian girl shrugged and Brittany and Santana sat down between Tina and Quinn when Brittany answered
"It's okay, you can totally ask me about that. Sometimes I carried him to his bed, sometimes we did it in his chair, sometimes in the kitchen, sometimes with Santana watching…"
Tina and Anna both looked at Santana indignantly, who just shrugged and angrily said "Whatever."
Then she noticed Quinn was seated at the table as well right next to her. The blonde girl was currently stirring a spoon around in a small cup of pudding. She had dreamy look in her eyes and was humming quietly.
"What's up with Q?" Santana asked.
The other girls just shrugged.
The Latina tilted her head. "Quinn?"
Are there lilac trees in the heart of town?
Can you hear a lark in any other part of town?
"Quinnie…" she said, waving a hand in front of her.
Does enchantment pour out of every door?
No, it's just on the street where you live…
"QUINN!" Santana hollered.
"What?" Quinn replied angrily, feeling sulky from being ripped out of her daydreaming.
"What's wrong with you?"
"Nothing's wrong, what are you talking about?"
"You looked like you were drowning in rainbows and candy," the Latina spat.
"Oh," Quinn said, feeling a bit embarrassed as she realized what she'd been doing. A small smile escaped her pink lips.
"I know that look," Santana smirked. "Who are you thinking about?"
"No one…" Quinn said shyly.
"Gus?" Anna quickly asked.
Quinn rolled her eyes. "It's not like that…"
The four other girls all squealed a bit and then they giggled loudly.
Sam and Mercedes came up to their table carrying their trays.
"What's up?" Mercedes asked, referring to the girls' childish behaviour.
Sam immediately looked at Quinn, who was sitting there smiling and blushing. Gosh, that smile. Wonder what's making her so happy.
"Oh, nothing," Tina replied, knowing not to talk about Quinn's new lover in front of her former lover and his new lover.
Unfortunately Brittany wasn't as alert and said "We're talking about the French boy… I still can't understand his name."
"Just call him Gus, Britt." Quinn chuckled lightly.
Oh. That's what. Sam thought a little disappointed.
They all giggled some more, and Mercedes and Sam sat down between Anna and Tina, placing their trays in front of them.
"So yesterday," Santana began. "I was skipping math and as I walked by Miss Pillsbury's office, I saw her and Mr. Schue sitting really close together and talking intimately."
"Oh San," Quinn pleaded. "We don't want to hear about that."
"Fine, I'll spare you the sleezy details and save those for Brittany later. Anyway, as I decided to eavesdrop, I found out that the theme of the Winter Dance is going to be 'opposites attract'."
All the seven students started speaking at once, commenting on the theme.
The winter dance was barely a month away and the second biggest event at McKinley next to prom. Every year the school would announce a theme for the party and the students would have to dress according to this theme, as well as the decorations would match.
"Are you supposed to dress contradicting or?" Tina asked.
"They didn't say…" Santana answered.
"I hope not," Quinn murmured frowning a bit. "I already have my dress." But I still need to buy a pearl necklace. I need to remember that.
"That would kind of blow," Anna agreed.
"I don't know guys," Mercedes said in her always optimistic being. "I think it sounds kind of cool. I mean, Sam could put on some white rich kid suit and I could put on some stereotypical black ghetto dress and we'd be picture perfect for that theme… plus it'd be really fun finding the costumes." She looked over at Sam with a big smile on her face.
"Sounds awesome, 'Cedes" he answered before kissing her on the lips.
Girls want to know I stay so skinny? Quinn thought. Just make sure to have lunch with the glee kids. Your appetite will disappear right away.
She turned her head to look away from the happy couple and she saw Gus sitting at the table next to them. He was surrounded by a group of girls from the drama club? Quinn wondered. He was currently reciting some play, and she guessed it was in French judging from the intense looks from the girls.
When Sam pulled away from his girlfriend, he immediately glanced over at Quinn, who was looking somewhat sad. He felt a little guilty, thinking I probably shouldn't do that in front of her, I hate seeing her like that. Poor thi-… then he realized she wasn't even looking in his direction. He followed her eyes and saw Gus at the next table obviously flirting with a bunch of girls.
That douchebag, Sam mused. You just don't do that to a girl like Quinn. How the hell can he let those girls be all over him, when the prettiest girl in the room is sitting at the very next table? He then shook his head and looked down at the food on his tray. No, Sam. Not the prettiest girl in the room. The prettiest girl in the room is your girlfriend no matter what. You've got to stop thinking like that…
He glanced up and noticed Quinn was just pushing the food on her plate around with her fork, looking very lonely. Has she eaten anything while I've been sitting here? I don't think so. And she's skinny enough as it is, she really shouldn't lose any more weight. That guy doesn't have a good influence on her. What an idiot. He shook his head again and continued eating.
...
"Ce monde, tel qu'il est fait, n'est pas supportable."
Gus cleared his throat and rapidly looked up at the girls surrounding him. Yep, they still looked enchanted, so he continued.
"J'ai donc besoin de la lune, ou du bonheur, ou de l'immortalité, de quelque chose qui soit dément peut-être, mais qui ne soit pas de ce monde."
The girls of the drama club all whined as he dramatically exhaled after finishing the sentence. Two of them were in Gus' government class and as soon as they discovered that there was an exchange student from France amongst them, they had begged him to read aloud from Camus' "Caligula". Gus himself wasn't much into that heavy stuff, but he had to admit that he enjoyed the attention.
Feeling on top of the world at that moment, Gus took a look around the cafeteria and quickly spotted his favorite American. She was currently sulking, lazily moving her food around on her plate. Gus frowned and excused himself to the other girls, who all objected to him leaving, but he wasn't really paying attention to them.
He stood up and walked over to where Quinn was sitting with Anna, Mercedes, Sam, Tina, Brittany and Santana. Without her noticing it, he got behind Quinn and silently leaned down close to her ear, and then he whispered:
"Bonjour ma fleur." ["Hello my flower"]
Quinn gasped loudly and dropped her fork, at the sensation of his hot breath on her neck.
All the glee clubbers looked up at the French guy, but before Quinn could turn around, he had kissed her on her cheek, and she instantly knew who it was.
"Pourquoi est-ce que tu es triste?" he whispered softly, still holding his head next to hers. ["Why are you sad?"]
Quinn looked over at Sam, who, as their eyes met, immediately looked down at his tray, looking rather pissed. What an idiot, he thought.
Quinn knew she was the only one there who spoke French besides Gus, but still she kept her voice low, as she said,
"Pour une raison quelconque, je ne peux pas supporter de voir mon copain précédentes d'être heureux avec sa nouvelle petite amie." She scooted back a little on her chair, so that she could rest her head on his shoulder, though still not facing him. ["For some reason, I can't bear to see my ex-boyfriend being happy with his new girlfriend."]
Gus glanced at Sam who looked a bit flushed at the other end of the table.
"Ah, je comprend. Veux-tu venir avec moi?" ["Oh, I see. Do you want to leave with me?"]
She thought about it for a moment, but then remembered how she'd promised Mercedes that she was okay with their relationship. "Non, ce sera semblent suspectes." ["No, that'd seem suspicious."]
"Bon." He turned around and took a step away, then hesitated and went back to his tutor, this time just putting his hands on her shoulder instead of leaning down.
"Quinn," he said.
She tilted her head back and looked up at him.
"You very should eat," he said pointing to her almost full plate. "You are very skinny and if you do not eat, one day you will blow away in the wind, no?"
She smiled at him and then he leaned down and softly whispered in her ear:
"Comme une fleur dans la vent." ["Like a flower in the wind."]
Quinn giggled and Sam clenched his jaw at the other of the table. I hate when he does that.
Gus stroked Quinn's cheek and said "I will see you in glee club," before leaving the canteen.
The party at the table was silent for a moment until Brittany, furrowing her eyebrows, said:
"Is he like the king of Europe or something?"
They all chuckled except for Sam, who whispered "He's not the king of anything," just low enough so only he himself could hear it. Or so he thought.
"Super hearing, Sam," his girlfriend whispered next to him closing her eyes.
Man, this day couldn't get any worse. Sam thought rolling his eyes
"No Brit," Quinn said, deciding that she wouldn't just let this one pass, but actually educate her friend this time. "He's not the king of Europe. Actually there are several kingdoms in Europe, so most of the countr-"
"But I don't get it," the former cheerleader complained, leading to Santana patting her in a friendly manner on her back. "Why does he keep calling you his queen?"
Quinn looked at her for a moment and then she realized what Brittany meant. "Oh, no sweetie, that's just how he says my name. If I lived in France, that's how they'd pronounce my name." Well, not exactly but I'm not about to explain Brittany the rules of pronunciation in French.
Santana put an arm around her best friend and rested her head on Brittany's shoulder, while Anna gently poked Quinn in the ribs, saying "Though I'm pretty sure you kind of are his queen."
Quinn smiled feeling better than before Gus had approached her. She then began eating her lunch.
And if anyone had been looking at the blonde haired boy across the table, they would've seen a boy looking ever so defeated.
Thank you for reading!
So, Sam misunderstands why Quinn is sad - I hope that came off clearly. I'm sorry for not updating for a while, but school hasn't been very nice to me! Thank God the holidays are coming up.
I don't know if American high schools actually do winter dances - they do in my country, and it kind of fitted well with this story. I apologize if it's too unrealistic, just try to think of one of the Harry Potter movies. Don't they go to a winter dance in of them? Please tell me if anything is unclear or misleading - I'll answer your questions with the next update. :-)