Three months had passed. It was now December. Quinn and Mike had been dating for three months. They were now officially the It couple in William McKinley after a post on Jacob Ben Israel's blog confirmed it. Though they were in Glee Club, the fact that Quinn was head Cheerio and Mike was on the football team overruled things. Quinn had won the respect of all the Cheerio's and now they beckoned to her will. People parted in the hallways as she walked past and she was invited to every party. Mike was gaining popularity as well for dating the hottest girl in school, but the popularity increase didn't seem to matter as much to him as it did to Quinn. He was more focused into taking the relationship to the next level as he was a hormonal teenager. They hadn't had any conversations about the matter yet, but Quinn had to readjust Mike's wandering hands on many occasions when they were in her or his bedroom.
She wasn't totally against the idea, she had discovered in the summer that sex wasn't something to be scared of. The only problem was that it would be with a new guy. Quinn didn't want to be a slut at all, and she didn't know what a right amount of boys to be having sex with was in high school. She had googled the question but there were so many differing opinions that Quinn realized it was a decision that she had to make for herself. She knew that she would be the fourth girl that Mike would have had sex with. She wasn't too pleased about that because she thought that it seemed like she wasn't important. Quinn realized that she couldn't change the past and that Mike will always have slept with Britney, Mai, and April but she just didn't want to be another name added to the list. She ultimately decided to put the thought out of her mind until it came up. There was no use in worrying about something that wasn't even coming up at the moment.
The three new additions to Glee Club had mixed results. Dwayne had been well liked at first. He seemed like an easygoing, laid-back guy who happened to like singing. His musical stylings were R&B and he sounded particularly good when paired with Mercedes. He seemed like a great addition to the Club, that was until he got a little too comfortable with everyone. After about a month of being in the Club Dwayne started to get vey bossy and arrogant. He seemed to think that his voice was better than everyone else's and that he deserved every solo. Even though it was explained to him multiple times over that his voice simply wouldn't work on all the numbers and that other member's voices suited the number better he would still get into a huff. Quinn had overheard Dwayne and Mercedes complaining to each other about their lack of solos multiple times. Apart from constantly wanting to be the star of the club Dwayne also liked to take control of the numbers. He never insulted people like Rachel would, but he was always adding his suggestions in at every second. He had become a male diva, and Quinn was sure that Mercedes would have yelled at him for his attitude but strangely enough they had become close friends. Quinn suspected that Kurt's dreams of double-dating with Mercedes and Dwayne may in fact come true soon enough. They were obviously flirting and it was only a matter of time until their relationship was taken to the next level.
Sam was the most universally well-liked in the club. He was easy-going and admitted that he hadn't even thought of trying out at first. It was after encouragement from Kurt and Finn during football practices that he decided to. He said he knew that it might lower his reputation seeing as the Glee Club was at its lowest after their humiliating loss but he enjoyed singing and he was willing to risk it. Sam was a really good singer, and Quinn thought that Finn might be a little jealous because as time went on Sam was getting more and more solos and was seen as Finn's major competition. Sam didn't offend anyone or boss anyone around so the club accepted him. His relationship with Kurt hadn't gone as smooth. Kurt had told Quinn that they had hung out with one another a lot and it was clear that Sam didn't have any problem with Kurt being gay. Kurt was positive that Sam was very confused over his own sexuality though and wasn't ready to admit he was gay. Kurt wanted to hang out with Sam a lot so it might speed up the process. In late November he got the courage up to tell Sam that coming out was hard but it would make him feel a million times better to not have anything to hide anymore. Kurt had told Quinn and Mercedes during one of their hangouts that Sam hadn't taken well to his advice. Instead of thanking Kurt he proclaimed that he wasn't gay and stormed off. Kurt and Sam hadn't been speaking since. Quinn thought the whole situation was awful. After knowing that Kurt liked Sam she had made sure to pay attention tot hem and it was clear that Sam reciprocated feelings, but was not ready to admit it. She felt bad that he couldn't accept who he was and he was keeping both himself and Kurt from actually finding love.
The last member of the club was probably the most controversial. Her name was Leizel and though she was very tiny, she had a big mouth on her. She wasn't afraid of hurting anyone's feelings. She would insult someone's singing at the drop of a hat and refused to feel bad about giving her criticisms. Her saving grace was her voice. It surprised everyone to hear such a big voice to come out of such a little girl. Rachel definitely had competition with Leizel, something that Rachel resented more than anything. The foreign exchange student was also a Christian who had re-started the celibacy club. The way Quinn found out was one of the reasons she disliked Leizel so much.
Leizel had walked up to Quinn after her first time at Glee rehearsal and gave her a warm smile. "You're Quinn Fabray right?" She had asked.
Quinn had nodded. "Who wants to know?" She cooly said, protecting her Ice Queen reputation after accidentally smiling back at this new girl.
"You used to be president of the celibacy club, I just wanted to let you know that I've started it back up."
Quinn couldn't help but burst out laughing. The celibacy club had been a joke. No one had wanted to proclaim their virginity except for herself and all the other members were there either because Quinn had manipulated them into it, or because they wanted to get some action. She never thought that after it was disbanded someone would have the guts to start it back up again.
"Good luck. How many members do you have now," Quinn asked, "Or is it more of a one-person club?"
Leizel had the audacity to roll her eyes at the cheerleader. Quinn was shocked. "We may not have as many members as you had during your presidential run… but I've heard stories from last year and at least all of our members are actually celibate."
Quinn wanted to slap the bitch across her face but managed to somehow control her anger. Quinn also noticed that Puck was sitting right beside them, pretending not to listen but clearly was. She had told Leizel that her eyebrows didn't match and then walked away from the whole situation. She chose not to talk to Leizel anymore thinking that she was a holier than thou bitch but somehow managed to hear about her from Santana in the beginning of November.
They had been hanging out at Quinn's house making posters for the Cheerio's upcoming competition. The girls, although both obsessed with popularity and neither forgetting about their past, had become sort of friends. They were at least pretending to be friends in any case. As they sprinkled glitter over the poster Santana asked Quinn, "Have you heard the new story about that little bitchy Phillippian?
"Leizel? What about her?" Quinn couldn't help but be intrigued at the prospect of new gossip.
Santana smiled and her voice was filled with snobbery as she said, "Even though she's your predecessor for president of celibacy club she kind of hooked up with Puck on Friday."
Quinn was shocked. She didn't understand. Was Santana trying to make Quinn jealous or was she simply trying to give her the latest gossip so she wouldn't be out of the loop. "What do you mean by hooked up?"
Santana shrugged her shoulders. "Well not sex, apparently she was sticking to her guns about that. Puck just told me that she gave him a hand-job. He's been telling everyone actually. The whole school will know by the end of this week."
That was it. Quinn was positive that Santana was just trying to make her jealous. They might have been getting along recently but her friend always did like to have the upper hand and seeing Quinn hurt would give her just that. The only problem was that Quinn wasn't hurt. She had gotten over Puck. She hasn't spoken to him since he had sang Baba O'Riley during Glee Club. She had moved on with her life and with Mike. She was in a serious, committed relationship and had all of her friends and activities back. She didn't need to worry about him anymore and she hadn't. She ignored him during Glee Club, and anywhere else she saw him for that matter. He was just another guy to her. Puck was officially dead to her.
"That's not going to hurt me Santana, but nice try."
Santana scrunched her face as if she were confused. "I can be a world class bitch, but don't call me one when I'm actually doing the opposite. Puck told me that he heard Leizel make some stupid rude comment at you and made it out like she was so perfect. Anyways he said it was kind of funny when he first heard it but a week ago he got mad over her saying it so he decided to get back at her for it. He asked her out and when they got back to her place she was willing to do it. Now everyone will think she's a hypocrite and you have the perfect opportunity to call her out. I'm doing you a favour by telling you, now you can get your revenge."
Quinn had to smile. Santana was actually being nice, in a weird sort of way, but more strangely Puck had also been nice, in a twisted sort of way. Sure, he had seduced a girl into giving up her beliefs, but he had done it because she had been rude to Quinn. After thinking for so long that Puck was a terrible person she had to admit to herself that he wasn't as bad as she had made him out to be in her head. He defended the people that were important to him and she was thankful that she could now wipe the smug sir off of Leizel's face.
The day after Santana had told her about Leizel and Puck's hookup Quinn found the new Glee member after entering the bathroom. She was trying to wipe away tears from her eyes while looking through the mirror. She glanced at Quinn and rolled her eyes.
She wiped a tear from the corner of her left eye and muttered, "Go on and say whatever you've been itching to tell me."
Quinn nodded. "You're a hypocrite. Karma works magic. Your early shouldn't get on my bedside. I know it isn't sex but I wasn't aware that hand-jobs had been added to God's list of approved things to do with boys. Those were just a few things I had been considering."
Leizel blew her nose into the tissue. "I don't even know why I did it. He's the only boy who paid any attention to me since I've gotten here. I'm from another country so half of the people at this school don't even think I speak english and the other half thought I was a social zero. Being in Glee club and being president of the celibacy club doesn't do wonders to your reputation. I have four friends and no boys are calling me up for a date. He paid attention to me and it actually felt nice. I didn't think he would tell everyone."
Quinn rolled her eyes. "Puck rarely kisses and doesn't tell. You wouldn't know that though. You'e new."
Leizel walked closer to Quinn and stood in front of her. "I've heard all sorts of stories form last year. He was the father of your baby right?"
Quinn nodded and Leizel did the same. "So did he just do this because I was a bitch to you that one time?"
Quinn shrugged her shoulders. "That's what I'm hearing."
"So he loves you and everything he told me was just a way for you to get revenge."
Quinn immediately shook her head. "We kind of hate each other actually Leizel. You just were an idiot and a bitch and made an enemy out of the wrong person. I know it really sucks to have your good reputation shattered - believe me I know what you're going through, but you kind of brought it upon yourself. You acted like you were better than me and no one forced you to give anyone a hand-job. That was all you. So I understand how terrible this is, but as soon as I leave this washroom I'm going to have to be a bitch to you - for my reputation and all. If you want some advice I would say just ignore everyone and stick with the club. But don't mess with me again or you'll regret it."
Since then Leizel had been the ridicule of the school but after a week the comments and gossip died down. She had followed Quinn's advice and acted like no one knew about it. The girls still hated it each other. Quinn routinely made slut coughs at Leizel, but the incident with Puck wasn't being brought up directly too much anymore.
It was a Friday in December and Quinn and Mike were in his bedroom laying on his couch with their feet laying next to each other's head. They didn't hang out at his house very much. It wasn't that his family were poor and he was ashamed of it, or that he had crazy strict Asian parents who didn't allow him to have friends. The real problem was that Mike had a little sister who constantly would barge in on the two and interrupt their moments. Mike's family wasn't rich but they were well-off. They had one of the nicer houses in Lima and with two parents working and only two kids they always had enough money to spend on their kids.
So Quinn and Mike were laying on the couch with Mike throwing a ball up in the air repeatedly and catching it. They had become comfortable simply hanging out with each other at one of their houses on a Friday night. They still had official dates and also went to parties to 'keep up with appearances' as Quinn would say, but they could also just be with each other and be perfectly fine. The moment Quinn realized that was when she realized that she had actual feelings for Mike; feelings that he didn't expect to be having.
"What do you want for Christmas?" He asked her as he threw the ball up into the air.
Quinn shifted upwards. "I don't want you to spend a lot of money on me Mike. Just get me something simple."
Mike leaned upwards and smiled. "Babe come on. If you tell me you want a jet I'm not going to be buy you it. Just tell me the one thing you want more than anything. If it's within the price range I'll buy it, and if not I'll just get you… I don't know, a shirt or some sex coupons."
Quinn laughed and threw one of the throw pillows that she was laying on at Mike. She then laid back down. "Well… the thing I'd want more than anything is kind of strange. I want a record player. My grandfather had one and I would always listen to tit. I thought it was the coolest thing in the world. When he passed away he left me all of the records but the player was broken. So I have all of the old records I used to listen to for hours but nothing to listen them on. They can be pricey though so don't buy me it if it's too much. It's just the thing on top of my list."
Mike nodded. "You're not going to ask me what I want?"
Quinn looked up to the ceiling. "I already know what you want Mike."
Mike sat up and then leaned over so he was leaning over Quinn's body. "You're mind is always in the gutter, isn't it? That's okay though. It would be a pretty nice gift."
She laughed. "I actually wasn't talking about that Michael. But nice to know you want that as well. You told me a few things you wanted a whole bunch of times. My listening skills come in handy."
The couple spent the rest of the night watching a movie which they didn't end up finishing as it was interrupted by an impromptu make-out session. Quinn came out just past midnight and found her mother on the couch watching a documentary on the Discovery Channel. Quinn walked over to her mother.
"What are you still doing up mom?" She asked.
The woman smiled at her daughter warmly. "I was waiting up for you Quinnie. I have exciting news!"
Quinn was confused. What news was so important that her mother couldn't wait until the morning? "What is it mom?"
Mrs. Fabray turned the television off and stood up to she could be on the same level as her daughter. "Well I finally decided to take your advice. As you know the divorce settlement was very kind on my favour and I've taken a chunk of that money to open up a dance academy. Some of the women I volunteer with have already expressed interest in putting their children in my class once I fix the studio all up. It should be open in about a month!"
Quinn shrieked and hugged her mother out of excitement. "Mom that's so great! I'm so happy for you!"
Quinn's mother had recently made the transition from Mrs. Fabray to Ms. Fabray. The divorce had been finalized in late October and the judged had been very kind to Ms. Fabray considering all of the cheating, lying, and throwing out of children that Mr. Fabray had done during their marriage. She had landed the house, the two best cars, and a huge chunk of money and spousal and child support. She also received full custody but Quinn had a feeling that was something that both her parents had agreed upon quickly. Until this moment Ms. Fabray had not gotten a job but was constantly volunteering, but Quinn was happy that her mother was following a dream of hers by opening up her own studio.
Quinn hadn't spoken to her father at all during the divorce proceedings. She wasn't strong enough to see him. He had left her when she was at her weakest and most vulnerable. She had needed him and he had abandoned her. She didn't have the strength or the willpower to be near him right now. She couldn't forgive him and she wasn't sure if she was ever going to be able to. She also wasn't sure if her father was ever going to be able to forgive her. In his mind she had ruined the family's reputation and had failed everyone even though he had been having an affair at the same exact time! It infuriated Quinn but she tried to not think about it much.
A week passed and Christmas was approaching. Quinn was busy buying presents for her friends, her mother, and her sister. Her sister wasn't coming home for Christmas. She somehow had taken Mr. Fabray's side in the divorce and was going to spend Christmas with him. She had ensured Quinn though that she was sending her a gift by parcel so Quinn felt obligated to do the same. Quinn had never felt close to her sister (Charlotte). There was an age gap between them and they weren't close while growing up. Charlotte moved out when Quinn was becoming a teenager and she didn't come home often. She preferred being on her own. She married young and was talking about starting a family with her husband soon. Charlotte was the perfect daughter. Quinn was living up to the expectations as well, even exceeding them, before she had become pregnant. Quinn and Charlotte hadn't talked much during Quinn's pregnancy. The older sister kept telling her that she wanted to help but always had some excuse. 'She lived too far away.' 'She was just getting started with a new job.' 'Their parents wouldn't listen to her anyways.'
Quinn liked to get her shopping done early. After two days of shopping she had everything perfectly picked out. All there was left to do was wrap them, but she always leaved that until a bit later.
The Glee club was having a Christmas concert. Rachel had originally said it was anti-Semitic considering that two of the members of the club were Jewish but Mr. Schuetser had to remind her that the majority of the school was Christian and that Christmas songs were more likely to receive an audience. Rachel, a self-proclaimed Tinkerbell, realized that a bigger audience was all she needed. In order to pick a wide variety of songs Mr. Schue decided to put half of the Glee club's names in a hat and get the other half to pick a name out. The pair would then have to decide on their favourite Christmas Carol. Those would then be the songs they would sing. There was an even number of members now as Leizel had gone home to visit her parents early for Christmas break. She was happy to go and Rachel was delighted as well. Leizel gone meant not having stiff competition for a solo.
Sam, Artie, Tina, Puck, Brittany, Finn, and Rachel's names were in the hat as they sitting on the left side of the rehearsal room. Mr. Schue then went to the other side of the class and passed around the hat where the slips of paper were placed in. Quinn, Mike, Matt, Santana, Dwayne, Mercedes, and Kurt each picked out a name. Quinn sneakily took a peek at her slip of paper. She saw Mike do the same. Her heart skipped a beat when she saw Puck written on her slip.
She nudged Mike. "Switch partners with me. Please." She showed him who she was paired with and Mike nodded uncomfortably. However, he didn't take her her sheet of paper. He shook his head. "You guys have to get over your problems. Plus, it's only for a few minutes."
Quinn was shocked. Why wasn't Mike accepting her demand? He knew how uncomfortable it would be for her to even talk to Puck for seconds but he was making her partner up with him? It didn't make sense. Mr. Schue told the students who ha depicted out names to go meet up with their partner. Quinn noticed that Mike happily walked over to Britney. She felt like crap. She wondered if he didn't want to switch partners because he wanted to spend time with his ex. She couldn't help but feel jealousy inside.
Quinn sulked over to Puck who was still sitting in his chair with his arms crossed. He smirked when he saw Quinn stand in front of him. "Did you fix this or something?"
Quinn rolled her eyes at his arrogant comment. "Don't flatter yourself. Let's just pick a song and get this over with."
Puck shrugged his shoulders and leaned back on his chair. "I don't know any Christmas songs."
Quinn put one hand on her hip as she stood in front of him. "Don't be a liar. Everyone knows Christmas carols, even Jews."
Puck smiled at her and Quinn sat down in the seat next to her. She had spent months ignoring him and pretending he didn't exist to prove to others that she was over him. If she acted like a baby right now all the work would be done the toilet. She had to fake it. So she politely asked, "Do you like 'O Little Town of Bethlehem?'"
Puck laughed out loud. "Don't get stated on all that Jesus crap. If we have to pick a song then it;s going to be something actually good like… I don't know, 'Christmas All over Again' by Tom Petty."
"My dad liked Tom Petty," Quinn said without realizing that her lips were moving. She looked up at Puck expecting an awkward silence but he instantly provided another suggestion. "What about that 'Merry Christmas - I Don't want to fight Tonight' song? It's like if 'Jingle Bell Rock' was cool and it's by The Ramones. I'm pretty sure your dad doesn't listen to them."
Quinn smiled. "I don't know the song, but I don't want to do some lame kiddie song and the title sounds nice so… sure. Why not?"
"What's your boyfriend going to pick?" Puck asked nonchalantly.
Quinn giggled. "He's been singing 'Santa Claus is Coming to Town - the Springsteen version - all week so he's probably convincing Britney to do that one."
Puck looked around the room and his eyes landed on Rachel. "If she picked that 'Do They Know It's Christmas Time' song to try and be deep or some shit I'm going to light something on fire. People don't want to be fucking depressed at a Christmas concert."
Quinn laughed and shook her head. "Five bucks she chooses Mariah's 'All I Want for Christmas is You' and makes it all about her little grossmance with Finn."
Puck stuck his hand out. "You're on." Quinn took his hand and shook it. Without expecting it she felt a spark as their hands touched. She studied Puck's face to see if he had felt it but he displayed no emotion to suggest such a thing. Quinn cursed herself. She couldn't feel these things anymore. She was with Mike and they were going good. She adored him and didn't want anything confusing getting in her way.
The Glee Club then went around the room with the pairs announcing their picks. Mercedes and Tina chose 'Sleigh Ride' which Quinn had to admit was a catchy song. Mike and Britney had in fact chosen 'Santa Claus is Coming to Town'. Kurt and Artie had picked 'Little Drummer Boy'. Quinn and Puck announced their choice which Rachel had rolled her eyes and huffed at saying that Christmas songs were not about rocking the house down. Sam and Santana had chosen 'Feliz Navidad'. Dwayne and Finn decided on Queen's 'Thank God it's Christmas'. Finally it was time for Rachel and Matt's to announce which song they were going to sing. Rachel stood up making a long speech about how her voice would sound lovely on the majority of the song and she would love to even make up the choreograph for it as well. Mr. schuss finally interrupted her and told her to say which song they had picked. Rachel smiled and said, "All I Want for Christmas is You". She then noticeably winked at Finn.
Quinn looked over at Puck who was still sitting beside her. He sighed but then took a five dollar bill out of his pocket and handed it to her. She smiled. She never understood why people ever doubted her.
Glee Club ended and Quinn walked back over to Mike and held his hand as they walked out to the parking lot. She had a fun time in Glee that she had forgotten all about being skeptical of Mike being excited about being paired with Britney.
The next day at school was a little peculiar. The beginning of the day went by normally for Quinn, but when she was at her locker during the break between third and fourth period she felt someone tap her shoulder. She turned around and saw that it was Puck. She was surprised. After months of not speaking and not so secretly disliking each other he was popping up in her life a lot.
"What's going on?" She asked him, still in shock.
Puck looked nervous and stammered at first. Eventually he found his footing. "I'm not fucking good with words or anything so I'm just going to ask you. Can… can we be friends?"
Quinn's mouth dropped open. The boy who had refused her apology and secretly humiliated her in front of the Glee Club wanted to be her friend? Her ex-boyfriend who had been furious with her for not wanting to see their daughter regularly was asking for friendship. It didn't make any sense. He was supposed to hate her. He was supposed to be an asshole and make it easy for her to dislike her. He wasn't supposed to understand her problems with her father or smooth over awkward situations. He wasn't supposed to be nice to her. He was supposed to play his role of the jack ass ex-boyfriend. It made things easier. If he was sweet and forgiving then it made things so much more complicated. She wanted to be friends but how was she supposed to know that Mike was going to be fine with it? She knew that she wouldn't fall for Puck again as he was happy with Mike but he still might feel a little weird with her being friends with the father of her child.
"Please don't make me say it again." Puck muttered bringing Quinn back to reality.
"Umm… I don't know Puck. It might be a bit weird. It's not always good to be friends with someone you have history with."
Puck rolled his eyes. "I'm not asking for you to make friendship bracelets with me Quinn or to build a fucking treehouse but I don't want to keep hating you and I don't want you to hate me."
Quinn looked Puck in the eyes and saw sincerity. He didn't seem to be joking around or trying to hurt her. He meant what he was saying. He wanted friendship. It was the season of forgiving and ti had been months since their big fight. If Puck was willing to make an effort to be cordial to her, than Quinn realized that she could at least give it a try.
"Well we can try it," She responded after a moment, "But friends look our for each other and are nice. They don't pull crap on the other."
Puck nodded his head, understanding the warning. "Friends… they can buy each other Christmas presents though right?"
Quinn raised an eyebrow. "You're Jewish."
Puck smirked. "And you're not."
Quinn sighed. She really wanted to have a talk with Mike and see if he was alright with this. She knew that she didn't need his permission on who to be friends with but she still wanted to ask his opinion on the matter. If Mike wanted to be friends with Mai she would like him to talk tot her before it. It was tricky to be friends with someone who you had previously been in a relationship with. However Puck had meant a lot to her at one time, and even though she had ignored him and tried to forget his existence he still meant a lot to her. She didn't want to start a relationship with him again but she wouldn't mind being friends.
"Fine, you can get me a present, but don't spend a lot of money on me Puck. Please."
"You really think you're something huh," He asked, "You're probably busy though on Christmas day with your family right?"
Quinn nodded. "You could come over on the 26th though. At around noon, that should be fine."
The rest of the days before Christmas break went by without much drama or excitement. The Glee Club practiced all of their songs for the concert. Surprisingly, every member got at least one solo throughout the whole concert which was a rare feat. Quinn had gotten to sing a solo on both Sleigh Ride and Merry Christmas - I don't Want to Fight Tonight. Rachel of course had more solos than anyone but that was to be expected. The concert actually ended up being pretty successful. Parents, teachers, and even a good number of students all showed up. Everyone in the club even seemed to be getting along. Even better news was that Mercedes and Dwayne were officially going out and Kurt and Sam seemed to be talking again.
Quinn knew that Mike noticed that she wasn't ignoring Puck anymore. She said hi to him when she saw him and had even had a conversation with him about the merits of Christmas in Glee Club. She thought it was a good holiday not only for the spiritual aspects but also because it taught people good values such as giving to others. Puck thought it was all a bunch of crap and it made people selfish and greedy. Even so, Quinn had not told Mike that she was friends with Puck again. She didn't want him to disapprove and she was afraid that he might. She thought that there was no harm in him not knowing. It wasn't like they even hung out, they were just being civil to one another. She definitely wasn't about to tell Mike that they were exchanging Christmas presents. Sometimes being oblivious was for the best.
One thing strange actually had happened. After the Christmas concert Finn had caught up to Quinn in the parking lot and asked to speak with her.
"Don't lead Puck on Quinn." He had said in a serious tone.
Quinn was clearly confused. She had no idea what Finn was talking about. "Finn I'm not following."
Finn sighed and put his hands in his pockets and shifted around uncomfortably. "He's been saving up at Sheets N Things to buy you something instead of continuing to pay off our debt and you have a boyfriend. Don't play him."
Quinn couldn't believe that Finn thought she was that type of girl. She may have been at one point but she thought that he had recognized ht exchange that had taken place within her. "Finn I told Puck not to spend a lot of money on me so don't say that I'm leading him on. We're friends and I've made that clear."
"To Mike as well?" Finn asked.
Quinn didn't want to deal with someone who never wanted to talk to her unless it was about someone else. He didn't seem to care about her so she wasn't going to stan there and be insulted. Instead she got into the passenger's seat of her mother's car.
The day before Christmas Mike came over to Quinn's house so they could exchange presents. Mike had made Quinn close her eyes as he carried her present up to her room. Once he had placed it down on her floor he allowed her to open her eyes. It was wrapped so she didn't understand why she had to walk up the stairs with her eyes closed and she playfully swatted her boyfriend for making her look like a fool without a purpose.
Quinn wanted Mike to open up the present she bought him first. The first present was wrapped up. He unwrapped it and saw that it was a massive case of his favourite energy drink. He laughed. "How did you know?"
Quinn giggled. "While it was kind of a hint when you gulped down three of them i ten minutes flat before the Glee Christmas Concert." She passed him the other present she had bought him. It was in an envelope that she had decorated herself. He opened it up to see two tickets to his favourite singer for the next month.
"Quinn you're the best!" He exclaimed as he wrapped her into a hug and gave her a big kiss. She smiled. "I knew you'd love it. Take Matt and have a great time."
Mike grinned at his girlfriend thinking she was the perfect girl he could have ever found. He motioned to the big present laying on the floor. "Open yours now." Quinn agreed quickly as she was never one to turn down a gift. She walked over to the gift and wondered where to start unwrapping. She finally decided to just go for it and attack the box. She unwrapped it everywhere and realized that it was just a huge box. She opened the box to find a slightly smaller box. She opened that box to find another slightly smaller box.
She glared at Mike. "I hate you."
He laughed. "That was the last one I promise."
Quinn smiled. "You better be telling the truth." She carefully opened up the next box and saw that he was in fact not lying. There was no slightly smaller box but instead the thing Quinn had wanted for years. Her perfect present was in the box. It was a brand new record player. Quinn couldn't erase the smile off of her face. She didn't know why she was being so emotional but she felt her eyes water. She put her arms around Mike and hugged him tightly.
"You are seriously the best boyfriend ever Mike!" She kissed him hard on the mouth and then picked the record player up so she could hold it. She was mesmerized as he studied it.
"I saw it at Urban Outfitters a few days after you told me you wanted one and I knew I had to give it to you. It's new and it can play all of your old records plus new ones. And if you ever want to get your DJ on it works as a turntable as well."
Quinn looked up at Mike and put the record player down. She stood up and walked two steps over to him. She put one hand around his neck and leaned in to kiss him. She led him with her other had to her bed and sat on it. He got the message and shifted the both of them further on the bed so Quinn was laying on the bed and he was using his arms to keep his weight off of Quinn as he laid on top of her. They continued kissing and things heated up. Quinn's hands were under Mike's shirt feeling his recently formed muscles in his back and Mike had his hand up the front of Quinn's dress. Quinn didn't know how she had gotten herself into this position. It wasn't like they hadn't ever made out heavily but she usually stopped things before such heavy petting started happening. However, she felt good and she knew that Mike was a nice guy. She also knew that her current morals and values didn't go against having sex (as she knew this where things were heading) with a committed boyfriend. Quinn was just being paranoid that she would soon become a slut who slept with dozens of guys. Still, at the moment things felt incredible and she didn't want them to stop. She was so thankful that her mother was out doing last minute Christmas shopping and wouldn't be back until dinner time.
Things escalated quickly and Mike was left in his boxers and Quinn only had on her bra and underwear. Mike had begun to leave a trail of kisses down her neck. He then put his arms around her back to undo her bra clasp. Quinn put her hand o his chest to stop him from going too fast.
"Mike…" She started.
"What," He asked, "This feels good, doesn't it?"
Quinn nodded. "It's not that Mike it's… I don't want to be one of those girls who sleep with a lot of guys in high school."
"I don't want you to one of those girls who sleep with a lot of guys in high school." He said, smiling and repeating her previous statement.
Quinn bit her lip. "What does that mean?" She needed clarification. She needed for Mike to say it out loud.
"I like you so much and for me I'm going to leave high school with a list of four and you're going to leave with a list of two."
Quinn smiled. "You mean it?"
Mike nodded and gave her a chaste kiss on the lips. "It's me and you babe. That's what I want. I promise."
Quinn nodded and grabbed Mike closer to her so he could leave kisses down her neck again. She then remembered something important. Though she was on the pill she wasn't going to make the same mistake twice under any circumstances. "Do you have protection?" She asked.
Mike picked up a condom he had taken out of his jeans before removing them and showed Quinn. She relaxed and gave into her hormones and what her body wanted.
Quinn didn't feel guilty afterwards or upset. She didn't regret her decision. She was glad that she had sex with Mike. She felt that they were ready and he had convinced her that he was in the relationship for the long haul. She wasn't worried that he was going leave her afterwards. He wasn't that type of guy. She felt a little guilty keeping the secret that Puck was visiting her the day after tomorrow after they had been so intimate and personal but she didn't want to ruin the moment. She definitely didn't want to get into a huge fight the moment after they had sex for the first time.
Mike left shortly after Ms. Fabray came home. He joked to Quinn that he wouldn't be able to look her mother in the eye for a while. Quinn told him not to worry and that her mom would probably be semi-cool with the whole matter - but they were definitely not going to mention it to her at all.
Quinn told her mother what Mike had given her for Christmas and Ms. Fabray told her daughter that she had snagged herself a good man. Quinn told her mother that she was already informed of that. Ms. Fabray asked her where she would want the record player to go. Quinn told her she'd like it in the basement as that's where she liked to listen to most of her music. The coolness and darkness of the downstairs somehow soothed Quinn. Ms. Fabray told her that she would move the record player downstairs soon.
Quinn loved Christmas day. Her mother had bought her all of the things she asked for but more importantly she loved how she actually felt like a family again with her mother. They weren't cold strangers to each other. They loved each other. Ms. Fabray's mother, father, sister and sister's family came over to join them for dinner and they exchanged presents with each other as well. Quinn loved having a family once again after being kicked out and switching homes almost as often as changing clothes. She had stability and love. She was so happy and at peace.
She woke up early the next day as Puck was coming over at noon. It hadn't taken her long to figure out what to get him. It was actually the easiest thing. It also fit her personality as she figured he wouldn't have wanted her to buy him anything particularly flashy. Her gift was from the heart. She was quite proud of herself actually.
She got ready and heard the doorbell ring at 12:14. Her mother was busy cleaning from yesterday's festivities. Quinn went to the door and answered it. She was wearing a simple white eyelet dress with a red cardigan over top. She saw Puck wearing a T-shirt with a hoodie over it and a pair of jeans. He was carrying an old box that wasn't wrapped. She assumed that he didn't have any wrapping paper at home or he though t he was too cool to be wrapping presents. She invited him in and into the living room. It seemed like a comfortable place where two friends could hang out.
"How's your break been?" She asked him, still not sure exactly how to act around him.
"It's been good," He replied, "I went to a few parties, did some paint-balling, and just hung out. How was your Christmas?"
"It was really nice. My mom's family came over for dinner and then we gave each other presents. I haven't seen any of them in such a long time… I wasn't here last Christmas so it's been over a year."
Puck nodded, understanding exactly why she hadn't been at her house for Christmas. He plopped himself down on the couch and Quinn sat o the couch opposite him. He put the box down on the floor in front of him.
Quinn leaned over to take a wrapped parcel form under the Christmas tree. Puck frowned. "I didn't want you to get me anything."
Quinn stuck her tongue out at him. "Too bad, I did. Even if you're a Jew I still felt like I should, so I did. Don't worry I didn't bust the piggy bank out for this one. I didn't even have to steal any wheelchair bus money." She winked at him and he laughed.
"Well I guess it's alright then. Do you want to open mine first?"
Quinn nodded as she was a sucker for presents. Ever since being a little kid and realizing she simply had to write a list down. send it to Santa and all she wanted she would get in a short amount of time she had become fascinated with Christmas and especially the gift aspect of it. She walked over and sat down in front of the box. She opened it up and picked the item out of it. It was a record player. It was smaller than the one Mike had given Quinn and this one looked like it had been used but Quinn loved it. She didn't know how he knew she would want one.
"It's… how did you know I wanted a record player Puck?"
Puck shrugged his shoulders. "You mentioned it once in the summer when we were in my car. Something about your grandfather and you had all the records you loved but nothing to play it on. So I saw this once and it's been used but I knew you'd want it. I saved up and bought it and fixed it up so it actually works now. It's actually not that bad."
Quinn couldn't stop smiling. She had such a warm feeling inside. She couldn't believe that Puck had remembered something she had probably quickly mentioned such a long time ago. After all they had been through he had managed to be such a nice guy. She knew she would never tell him that Mike had bought her a brand new one obviously. It would be cruel and she couldn't do that to him. She stood up and hugged Puck. She kissed his cheek.
"Thank you so much Puck. It's perfect. I love it."
Puck grinned. He was proud of himself. Quinn thought he looked adorable. She couldn't believe that he had goon to so much trouble just for her. She felt weirdly honoured. He kept smiling and Quinn passed her gift to him to Puck. "I hope you like mine as much."
He carefully unwrapped the gift wrap. Once it was unwrapped he was stunned at what it was. He stared at the collection of items, not knowing what to say. It was a whole bunch of photographs of Beth that Quinn had framed. There were pictures of her from the day that she was born Ms. Fabray had taken with her digital camera that Quinn had kept procrastinating to e-mail Puck until it was to late to the most recent pictures. Quinn had printed off pictures in all shapes and sizes and framed the best ones. The main one was a picture of Beth, Quinn, and Puck that Ms. Fabray had insisted on taking only an hour after she was born. Quinn was holding Beth on the hospital bed and puck was laying beside her with his arm around Quinn, smiling at Beth who was laughing. The recent pictures were ones that Shelby had recently e-mailed Quinn.
Puck looked through all the pictures but his face didn't move form it's stoic expression. "You don't like them?" Quinn asked, suddenly worried that it was too sappy of a gift.
Puck looked up at her and shook his head rapidly. "No - I love it Quinn. Thank you. I… I don't have any pictures of her."
Quinn nodded. "I know. I'm sorry I never got around to e-mailing you the ones we took at the hospital but I kept putting it off and then we broke up. And I haven't had the new pictures for very long. Just a few days actually. I told Shelby to send pictures in bulk. Like a bunch of pictures a couple of times a year because i though it'd hurt less. I was going to just forward you the e-mail but then you wanted to be friends and i got the pictures and i thought this would be a much better present, to frame them and print them out and stuff. Did you see the picture of her in the elf costume? She's adorable."
Puck looked at the picture Quinn mentioned and laughed. "She looks like you still."
Quinn shook her head. "She looks a lot like you too. Her little nose especially. She's the most beautiful baby ever."
"Well look who she has for parents. It wasn't a question she was going to be amazingly good-looking."
Quinn giggled and then felt Puck put his arms around her to give her a hug. He whispered thank you through her hair as he kissed the top of her head. It was a nice moment. They were getting along and being friendly. He had been sweet to her with his present and she had done the same. Quinn felt guilty that she had told Mike about the record player however. Puck was so proud of himself and he didn't know about Mike's high-tech turntable he had bought. Quinn didn't want to feel guilty though because she honestly loved Mike's gift but she also loved the thoughtfulness that came from Puck. It was a tricky situation.
"Do you want water or anything? Leftover turkey? We have a bunch of food from yesterday." She tried to distract herself from the situation. Puck nodded and they walked into the kitchen. Quinn went to the fridge to get the leftover dinner out when she heard Puck say, "What's that Quinn?"
Quinn turned around and saw what he was looking at. Puck was looking at the record player that Mike had given her. It was right beside the stairs leading down to the basement that were visible form the kitchen. Quinn's heart sank.
"Mom, why did you bring the gift down?" She yelled out cursing her mother. Why had she done it things would have gone smoothly if it had been left in her room. Her mother, from down in the basement said she was jet moving it for her like she had told her before. Quinn's eyes watered and knew she would have to face the music. She looked at Puck who was visibly hurt.
"Who bought you that?" He asked, trying to sound as if he didn't care.
Quinn tried to think of a lie that would make the situation less of a deal but nothing came to mind. If nothing would make the situation any better she decide that she might as well tell the truth and not get wrapped up into a lie. "Mike." She whispered almost hoping that Puck wouldn't hear.
He did. He nodded, swallowed his anger, and turned around to walk out of the house. Quinn ran to him and grabbed his arm to turn him around. "Puck, don't leave. Please! It was a much bigger gift from you! Mike didn't have to save up for it or work to fix it! He just bought it!"
Puck rolled his eyes. "No I got to enjoy all of that." He said sarcastically.
Quinn couldn't believe that he was making her feel bad about receiving a gift. It wasn't her fault at all. Still, a few tears were coming down her cheeks as she saw how hurt Puck was by the situation. "I had to tell him I wanted it Puck! You knew because you listened. It means a lot more coming from you."
Puck shook his head and shrugged Quinn's grasp off of him. "What am I doing," He asked himself, "I'm being a fucking pussy."
Quinn put her arm on his shoulder. "Puck stop it."
He shook her grasp off of him again. "No I'm so stupid. You have a boyfriend and I'm working away tying to fix some fucking record player when he's buying you a three hundred dollar one."
Quinn's mouth was open, her eyes were watery with tears already falling down them, and her body was shaking. Why did Puck bring out so many emotions in her? She wanted to hate him but he was sweet and she couldn't help but feel as if she had hurt him.
"I'm going to go Quinn. Thanks for the pictures but… maybe it was better when we weren't friends. I'm being a girl right now and it's retarded. You can take back my gift if you want. Sell it to a pawn shop or something."
Quinn shook her head. "I love your gift Puck, I do. Even if you don't think I do. And you can't leave, I still have another part of the gift to give you."
Puck kept walking. "Keep it. Whatever it is. I'm through with this. You're with Mike." He picked up all of the pictures that Quinn had given him and walked out of the door. She heard his car back out of the driveway. Quinn sunk to the floor and cried. Every time she let Puck back into her life he left. Each time he left it hurt more. She knew that she was going to have to have Mike come over. She needed comfort and a distraction to forget about everything. Her Christmas spirit had officially been ruined.
I hope you all liked this chapter! It's definitely become longer than I was expecting but it's alright. I hope you all enjoyed it!
Thank you for everyone reading, reviewing, or setting this story or myself to their alerts/favourites! It means so much and I appreciate it a ton! :)
This chapter has set up something pretty big that's going to happen in the next chapter. The downside is that as I said in the last chapter I'm going to a resort tomorrow for a week so there won't be another chapter until I come back. Once I come back I'll try to write like a madwoman so I can put up a long chapter shortly.
It would be very pleasant if I came home from vacation with some new reviews, and it would definitely motivate me to finish the next chapter faster so if you have the time I would appreciate any feedback or comment. One sentence, one word, one paragraph, anything would be appreciated and it would make my day! :)
Until next time I hope everyone has a fantastic week and happy reading!