The morning after Quinn texted Mike back as soon as she woke up. She told him that she could meet up with him later on that day in the afternoon. Now that she was looking forward to being with Puck again, Quinn wanted to be over with Mike as soon as possible. It wasn't that she didn't like him. Mike had been a perfectly fine boyfriend. He had been good to her and he had helped her become who she wanted to be. She was now popular and envied by every girl in the school, and every boy seemed to want to hook up with her. Quinn knew that Mike had been more than a popularity boost though, no matter how much she protested the fact. She really had found herself caring deeply for the boy. He was nice, funny, cute, and sweet. She had fun with him and she didn't regret having him be the second boy she had sex with. In the end though she always realized that things weren't going to last between the two. Even if things were to continue their expiration date would be approaching. High school couples rarely last long and it had already been close to four months. Quinn would have been surprised if they had kept things together for longer than another two or three months. They were good together, but they didn't have the spark that was needed for a relationship to really work. They didn't have the spark that Quinn always experienced when she was around Puck.
She felt bad that after Mike was to break up with her she would immediately run to Puck and start dating him. She didn't want to see Mike hurt, or even feel like his ego had been bruised. Quinn had thought of perhaps secretly being with Puck for a little bit until her and Mike's break up was far away in the past. She recognized that it wouldn't be possible quickly. She might have been able to convince Puck to keep things on the down low for a week, but anymore and she was certain that he would be pissed. Quinn could remember how much he hated Quinn sneaking around and hiding the fact that he was the father when she was pregnant with Beth, so she grasped the fact that Puck wouldn't be particularly pleased with hiding their relationship. On the other hand, she was allowing Mike to be the one to break things off. Even though it had the potential to do serious harm to her reputation, Quinn was content with being dumped. Mike would get accolades for breaking up with the resident ice queen, whereas Quinn would be embarrassed that she had been dumped by someone lower on the popularity scale than her. It seemed like a fair deal once Quinn thought about it. Mike would break up with her, and then Quinn would not feel guilt about running to Puck and starting a relationship up with him again. Things would be fine.
It had been hard not to kiss Puck again the night before. Especially at the end of the night. Quinn had wanted to leap from her seat in the car and begin a wild make out session with the boy but she had contained herself. She couldn't cheat on Mike anymore than she already had. An impromptu kiss was one thing, but being well aware and prepared while making out was another. Still, it had taken Quinn a lot of willpower to compose herself. She had said goodbye to Puck with only a wave and a pat on the shoulder when he dropped her off at her house. No kisses, no making out, and definitely no inviting him inside of her house.
Quinn had to unfortunately text Mercedes and ask her if they could reschedule their girl's day to the Wednesday. She knew that her friend would most likely blow a fuse and blame it all on Quinn choosing her boyfriend and other friends over her, but she really needed to spend the day doing other things. Quinn made sure to tell her that it was majorly important and she would tell her all about it the following day. Surprisingly, Mercedes didn't send her a hate-filled text, but rather a polite response telling her that it was fine, as long as she was paying for lunch now. Quinn giggled and told Mercedes that it would be her pleasure and thanked her friend for being so understanding.
Mike texted her back to meet him at his house at one o' clock. The text perplexed Quinn. She hadn't dumped a huge number of boys, but she had rejected quite a few and she knew that it was a huge no-no to invite the person you were going to break up with over to your house. It was awkward, and uncomfortable to do so. She had no idea why Mike was doing so, but she just chalked it up to the fact that he hadn't dumped many girls before and was a rookie at it. Mai had been his only real girlfriend before Quinn and they had been so off and on that Quinn thought that all normal rules of dating had been thrown out the window with the two of them. Be that as it may, Quinn replied to Mike telling him that she would be there. She felt weird responding to Mike as they planned out the specifics of when and where he would dump her but she just kept telling herself that he needed to break up with her in any way he felt fit. It was the only way she would be able to date Puck and not seem like a total bitch.
It was already approaching eleven o' clock so Quinn decided to start getting ready for her moment of rejection. She straightened her hair, applied her make up, put on a simple dress with tights and a cardigan, and then went downstairs to have something to eat. Ms. Fabray was in the kitchen at the same time. She smiled at Quinn.
"How did the meeting with Beth and Shelby go yesterday," She asked, this being the first time she had seen Quinn since Puck had dropped her off, "Was she precious? Does she look like you?"
Quinn giggled at how animated her mother was being. Even if her mother had gone along with her father when he had kicked her out of the house, Quinn always thought that her mother may not have minded a baby around the house so much. "She was really cute. Her hair's growing pretty long... for a six month year old at least, and she giggles and smiles at almost everything. I got a lot of pictures. You can look at my camera once I go out, I left it on the living room table when I came in last night."
Quinn's mom clutched her heart and ran into the living room to fetch the camera, too anxious to wait until her daughter had left the house. She came back as she was turning the camera on and looking at the first picture of Puck pulling little Beth in the sled.
"She looks like you so much Quinnie... but she has her father's nose, that's for sure. It seems like you two managed to get along well enough."
Quinn raised an eyebrow at her mothers comment. "Why wouldn't we?"
Ms. Fabray looked up from the camera and waved away Quinn's question with her hand. "Oh you know what I mean dear," Her mother told her as she shrugged her shoulders, "You two just are always so touch and go. One second you get along perfectly fine, almost as if you're a couple even though you swear up and down to me that it's not true, and then the next minute you're screaming at each other and slamming doors. It's just nice that you put your stubbornness aside for a day so you could see your daughter."
Quinn had to admit her mother was right. Puck and herself didn't have the best track record for always getting along. It always depended on the mood they were in, or what they had found out about the other. They both were stubborn, selfish, and easily angered. Quinn began to worry that maybe she was making a huge mistake. Maybe getting back together with Puck was a terrible decision. What if everything worked out for a while and then they became their explosive selves once again? Perhaps Quinn should beg Mike to take her back. It might be the better decision to stick with the safe guy than the risky guy. Quinn bit her lip in confusion and then tried to shake her doubts away. She had made her decision. She wanted to be back with Puck. He made her feel something she felt with no other person. They were fiery people but in a strange way they belonged together. Neither was afraid to call the other one out on their bull shit, and they both felt comfortable around each other to let their walls come down. He was right for her. Even though they had gone through a teenage pregnancy, she was a bitch, and he was a man whore, Quinn saw their relationship as being more than any of the other high school relationships she had seen in the hallways. They'd been through so much but that was particularly why she saw it as so much more. Other relationships would have fizzled and broken down with half of the shit that had come their way, but Puck and Quinn always seemed to find a way back to each other.
At that moment, Quinn's cell phone started ringing so she stepped out of the room to answer it. She saw that the caller I.D. said Puck was the one on the other line and she didn't want her mother to overhear their conversation.
"Hey you." She softly breathed out, still happy with the new prospect of being with this boy in only a matter of hours.
"You and Mike had sex." He didn't phrase it as a question, but as a comment. He somehow had figured it out and he was angry about it. His tone and been quick and harsh. Quinn was perplexed. How was Puck angry at her for that?
Quinn went on the defensive. "He was my boyfriend Puck... and he still is. I'm meeting up with him at one."
Puck wasn't ready to give up so easily. "You didn't tell me that you two were sleeping together. It makes things... different."
Quinn hoped that he wasn't saying what she thought he was saying. Especially not after she had convinced herself that he was the right person for her. "So now you don't want to be with me?"
Puck was quick to reply. "No, I do. But I want to kill him. He's an idiot. I hate him. He doesn't deserve you. He never did."
Quinn giggled. "You're jealous Puck." She teased.
"Damn right I am," He told her, "I thought I was the only - I mean, I just didn't know you guys were fucking."
Quinn rolled her eyes. "Don't say it like that. Plus, it's not like I'm asking you how many girls you slept with since we've been apart."
She heard a gulp on the other end of the line, followed by empty silence. She smiled in satisfaction. "Exactly. My number is one. I don't even want to know how many people you slept with. So stop fixating on this. How did you even find out?"
"Matt," Puck offered, "It just makes me mad. And I know it shouldn't... but it does."
Quinn rolled her eyes yet again and looked at the clock on the TV. It was nearing twelve o' clock and she needed to finish getting ready. "Well you're going to have to get over it. You slept with a bunch of girls and I slept with my boyfriend... and it was only two times so it wasn't even close to your count at all. Get over it and move on. Otherwise we're just not going to work out."
Puck finally agreed and Quinn hung up the phone. She had enough drama to worry about that day, what with going to be dumped and all, and she didn't need Puck coming down with a jealous rage just because he had found something out that in all honesty most people had already assumed.
Quinn finished primping and made her way to her car. Her theory was to look her best for when Mike was to break up with her. It would just show him what he was going to miss out on, even if she didn't necessarily want him to miss anything. Still, it had been a trick she had been using forever and she wasn't just going to start breaking habits. Quinn drove to Mike's house and felt a strange combination of feelings. On the one hand she was anxious for it all to be over with. She didn't want to be held back anymore and she simply want to be with Puck. However she was also hesitant. Mike was so fun to be around and he was one of Quinn's only true friends. Without dating Quinn didn't know if he would still want to associate with her and she would truthfully miss spending time with him. She would also miss kissing him and all the other fun things that it felt like they had just started doing, but Puck was a more than excellent replacement. It wasn't that he was better than Mike or Mike was better than Puck. They were just completely different people and when it came down to it, Quinn wanted to be with Puck more than she wanted to be with Mike.
She parked her car by the street by Mike's house and made her way out of the car and took the long walk up to the front door. It felt like it had taken Quinn hours to reach the door, when in actuality it had taken less than a minute. She rang the doorbell and braced herself for Mike to come out, yell at her, and slam the door in her face. Her life would then change and she had no idea if it would be for the better anymore.
Mike opened up the door and smiled at Quinn and invited her inside.. She gave him a confused look when his back was to her. Why was he being so nice when he was supposed to be breaking up with her? This was either the weirdest or the friendliest break up in the history of the world.
He led her to his bedroom as it was their best bet of not being interrupted by his mother or sister who were also home. Mike sat on the end of his bed while Quinn decided to sit on the chair by his desk facing towards him. She hadn't been sure if she should remain standing, but she deemed it too aggressive of a stance. She shifted in the chair for a moment before finally gaining the courage to say, "So.. you have something to talk to me about."
In any other situation she wouldn't have brought it up, but this situation was different than any other she had been in before. Plus, she was so awkward that the only thing that came to mind was asking him what the text message was about. She waited for his response. He seemed to be thinking of what to say, or how to phrase it.
"I was wrong, and I'm sorry," Mike told Quinn as her mouth fell open in shock, "I shouldn't have been dancing with Olivia. It was stupid. And I shouldn't have gotten mad at you for the Puck thing. I was just being jealous. I'm sorry."
Quinn sat there with her mouth open, contemplating everything. He was apologizing to her. Mike was supposed to be berating her and telling her how he never wanted to talk to her again. She wasn't prepared for this. What was she supposed to do now? Tell him that she forgave him but she had to break up with him to be with Puck? She couldn't, but she couldn't stay with him when she had already made promises to Puck. Why couldn't he have just broken up with her?
"It's okay." Quinn managed to mutter out. She wanted to say more but she couldn't think of anything else to say, and she had a sneaking suspicion that whatever she could think of to say wouldn't make it past her lips.
Mike took Quinn's quick statement as a good enough sign to move on with the conversation. "I made a big deal out of nothing. I'm sorry, but I still want to be your boyfriend. I want you to be my girlfriend. The fight was shitty but I promise that nothing else will happen like that. I want to go back to the way things were. We can forget about the crap and just move on. But there's one tricky part..."
His voice trailed off and Quinn took notice. She desperately hoped that in someway this tricky part would end up in a break up. It was a terrible thought but it was what Quinn was banking on for life to finally go the way she wanted. "What is it?"
Mike pouted as he looked glum and Quinn's heart thudded with the guilt that she had cheated on this sweet boy just hours ago. "My grandmother died yesterday. My family has to go to China to take care of matters or something like that. We were the closest ones to her. Anyways we're leaving tomorrow and we're going to be gone for two weeks. I feel like an asshole apologizing and then leaving but I have to do it."
Quinn felt her stomach drop. Her whole plan was falling apart. She no longer had any options. First Mike wasn't breaking up with her, and now it was evident that she couldn't even be the one to break up with him. Only a cold-hearted bitch could break up with someone who had a grandparent pass away the day before. She didn't want to be mad with Mike as she understood it wasn't his fault at all, but she was starting to feel trapped in her situation which made Quinn very agitated.
"I'm sorry about your grandmother. I really am. I've only lost one grandparent, but I was really little when it happened so I don't remember. It must suck really bad though, so I'm really sorry." Quinn knew it wasn't what she should be saying. She should be talking things through with Mike, but she was too afraid for that, and in any case it was right to offer condolences when someone passes away and Quinn really was sorry about Mike's loss.
Mike nodded and smiled at Quinn, thanking her for her sentiments. He then sighed and asked, "So are we good? Are we still together? Even if I have to leave for a couple weeks?"
What was Quinn supposed to say? She clearly had no other options but to stay with Mike. At least for a few more weeks. She was painfully aware how pissed off Puck would be at her for not having the balls to tell him the truth but she couldn't be as ruthless as him. She worried about those who she cared about, and Mike had become a really good friend and boyfriend to her. She cared for him genuinely and didn't want immense amounts of pain being thrown at him all at once.
So Quinn felt she had no other choice but to nod her head, smile, and walk over to Mike to give him a big hug. She felt him kiss the top of her head. "I'm sorry too," Quinn whispered, "I have to learn to be more honest with you." She was glad that she wasn't lying as it was the truth that Quinn needed to learn how to be more sincere with Mike. For instance, she should be able to tell him that she wanted to get back together with Puck, but she wasn't that brave yet.
Mike sat back on his bed and Quinn sat beside him this time on the bed as well, with her legs crossed. Mike tried to make conversation. "How was Beth? That was yesterday, right?"
Quinn nodded and immediately perked up. Talking about Beth seemed to have that effect on her. "It was amazing. She's so cute and it was so nice to just see her playing and giggling. She looks so much like Puck. Ugh, I should have brought a picture or something to show you." Quinn didn't know where it was coming from, but she found herself transforming into one of those uber proud soccer moms, and her kid wasn't even in preschool yet!
Mike laughed and took Quinn's hand to hold. She felt awkward holding his hand whereas before the Puck kiss she would have found it comforting. "What else have you been up to lately?" He asked.
Quinn tried to think of something to tell Mike that wouldn't be suspicious. However, she had never been amazing at thinking on her feet. When she lied she always prepared for it ahead of time, crafting the fib until it was perfect and she could get away with it without a trace. This was much different as she was caught off guard. She had expected to be dumped and dismissed, not having him ask about her recent activities such as sucking face with her ex boyfriend.
"N- Not much," Quinn stuttered, trying to play it cool, "Besides seeing Beth I've just been hanging out. But... can we talk a little later maybe? I have a lot of errands to run today."
Mike nodded in agreement, not recognizing that anything was wrong. He didn't understand that Quinn needed time to think about what had just happened. He didn't realize that she needed to determine what her best move of action was. He didn't know that she actually had to debate whether she should lead him on more and stay with him, all the while wanting to be with Puck. He certainly didn't see that she had to call that boy to see what his thoughts on the matter were. No, Mike was oblivious and simply overjoyed to have his girlfriend back. He would believe anything she told him because in his mind they were starting anew and he was trusting her fully to put as much effort into the relationship as he was.
"Do you want to hang out tonight?" He asked.
Quinn thought about it. Though she had originally planned on calling Puck up and inviting him over to celebrate her first night of being single she knew that it couldn't be the case tonight. Either way, if she decided to stay with Mike or break up with him, she would have to see him that night. She would have to talk to him so she could dump him, or she would have to see him to keep up with the appearance of being back to normal and adoring each other.
"Yeah, you can come over to my house. Around eight o' clock?" Quinn tried not to put too much excitement or exclamation in her voice. She didn't want Mike to think that she was thrilled with being with him still if in the end she was going to break up with him.
Either way, Mike seemed to be delighted and smiled as he told her that it sounded like a great plan. He then walked her out to her car and told her to try and have a good time running errands. He leaned in for a kiss, and Quinn gave him a quick peck on the lips. Her mission was not to lead him on at all in case she ended up not wanting to play out their relationship any further. Quinn then drove home and ran up to her room so she could call Puck and discuss things with him. Luckily her mother was out surveying the construction being done on the dance studio so Quinn had complete privacy in her house.
The phone rang once... twice... three times and then Puck picked up.
"Hey babe." He introduced, and Quinn could sense the smirk forming on his face from the other line.
"I don't think I can break up with Mike." Quinn said, and she immediately slapped herself. Those were not the words she wanted to use at all. It had come out all wrong, but she had been nervous and had said the first thing to come to her head. She knew how it must have sounded to Puck however and realized that major damage control was coming her way.
There was a moment of silence on the other line before Puck replied, "Can't say I didn't call it."
Quinn shook her head even though she knew that Puck couldn't see her at the moment. "No - it isn't like that Puck! I want to break up with him, but I don't think I can. I went over to his house today and I thought he was going to dump me but eh didn't... he apologized for everything-"
Quinn was then interrupted. "So I was just some safety net? In case he broke up with you, I was there to be your new boyfriend? Now that he hasn't you have no fucking use for me or some shit? That's messed up Quinn."
"Let me finish," Quinn cried, "I still want to break up with him! I do but he apologized and then said that his grandmother died and he's going to China tomorrow or two weeks with his family to sort things out. I can't break up with him when he's going through all of that."
Quinn heard Puck sigh on the line. "So you want to wait two weeks until he comes back to dump him?"
Quinn bit her lip. She was really making this up as it went along, and hadn't though things through fully. "That seems too harsh to do it the minute he gets back. Couldn't we wait three or four weeks? I just don't want to throw everything at him at once."
"Bull shit," It was obvious that Puck hadn't taken to her suggestion as well as she hoped he would, "You're just scared Quinn. You want to wait a whole freaking month to date? What am I supposed to do, just sit back twiddling my thumbs waiting for you to be single? Do you even want to do this anymore?"
Quinn was quick with her answer. "I do! So much Puck, but I can't dump him when he's all put out about his grandmother! Can you please be reasonable? One week after he comes back I'll break up with him, I promise. That's only three weeks, can't you wait that long?"
"I don't want to be sitting around with blue balls while you have sex with him Quinn! How does that seem fair?"
Quinn put a hand over her head, tired of arguing with Puck. "I'm not going to have sex with him! I'll have to kiss him probably, but I'll keep that on a minimum. And I guess if you want you could spend time with other girls while we're waiting. Just not anything serious or anything to do with Santana."
"I don't want to be with other girls," Puck screamed, "For the first fucking time I just want to be with one! But I don't want to look like a chump waiting for weeks while you have a fucking boyfriend!"
Quinn slumped onto her bed, aggravated by how terrible the conversation was going, but also slightly pleased by Puck's revelation that he only wanted to be with her.
She made her voice soft and soothing, attempting to calm him down a tad with the whole situation. "It's only three weeks. Then we can be together. I promise. It will all be worth it."
There was silence on the other line for a moment. Quinn figured that Puck was contemplating everything, which was a good sign as it meant he was actually considering waiting around for her for three weeks. That was something she really never expected out of him.
"Fine," Puck finally responded, "Three weeks. You promise you don't want to be with him right now?
Quinn smirked. Just as she had needed to hear that she wasn't fat the day she had become pregnant, she figured that Puck needed to hear something from her at this moment. Luckily she knew what he needed to be reassured of. "I want to be with you Puck." She said almost in a whisper, but it seemed to do the trick. Puck replied, "Good, but... when he's in China are we allowed to fool around even a little bit?"
Quinn laid down on her bed. She knew that she wanted to be with Puck for the next two weeks but it wasn't fair to Mike. She couldn't plan their breakup so she could be with someone else and then cheat on him constantly for two weeks with that someone else. "No... it's too risky. If he found out, he'd be so upset and I don't want to hurt him. He's a good guy. Plus, I don't want to be known as some girl that cheats on every single one of her boyfriends."
"What," Puck breathed out, "You cheated on me in the summer?"
Quinn giggled. "No, never," Quinn's tone then became serious and pensive, "But it seems like I'm always cheating on boys with you."
"Yeah you do." Puck said smugly and Quinn wanted to equally both slap him in the face, laugh, and kiss him because of that comment.
"I have to go," Quinn told the loveable tool, "I need to do some things and then Mike is coming over later tonight."
Quinn realized she probably shouldn't have mentioned anything about hanging out with Mike later. She was already asking a lot out of Puck, and making him jealous with the mention of what seemed like a date with Mike was pushing things. She didn't have to do damage control however as Puck quickly responded, "I'm just going to pretend that I didn't hear that." The pair then both hung up the phone.
Quinn was so frustrated about her whole situation. She would now have to wait three weeks to be with the man she wanted as she lead a sweet boy on that didn't deserve it. She considered the possibility that maybe it was better if she was truthful with Mike and told him that she wanted to end things before he left for China but ultimately decided otherwise. She simply didn't want to leave him with the pain of his grandmother passing away and on top of that, his girlfriend breaking up with him.
That night Quinn waited around in the living room for Mike to arrive. Ms. Fabray was out on what Quinn presumed to be a date but she wasn't going to badger her mother for answers until she was ready to tell her. Her mother had been more distant however, though Quinn had previously chalked it up to the pressure of starting her dance studio up, but she now suspected that it may also be due to the fact that she could have a new boyfriend. Quinn thought that her mother deserved to have a man that treated her well, every woman did, but she didn't want her to start pushing her daughter aside like she had done when she was still married to Quinn's father.
The doorbell rang and Quinn walked over to answer it. Before opening the door she took a look in the mirror at smoothed out her hair. She then opened up the door and put on her best photo ready face, complete with smile and bright eyes, to welcome her boyfriend. However, she was not expecting to see Mike in the condition that he was in. Her smile quickly faded and she took a step back.
"What the hell happened?" She asked. What she was looking at was Mike with a huge black eye. His eye was swollen and terribly bruised.
Mike tried to act like it wasn't a big deal and shrugged it off. "Nothing major. It looks worse than what it was. Can I come in to talk about it?"
Quinn nodded and stood aside to let Mike walk into the house. She instructed him to go up to her room and she would get some ice to put on his eye. He tried to tell her that it wasn't so bad but she wasn't buying it. Mike relented and walked up the stairs to Quinn's bedroom while Quinn went into the freezer to get an icepack and wrapped it up in a cloth. She then walked upstairs and saw Mike sitting on the edge of her bed. She sat beside him and softly put the wrapped up ice over his eye.
"It's cold." He noted and Quinn rolled her eyes. "It's ice, it's meant to be cold. Don't be a wuss. You can't afford to have a black eye and be a wuss."
Mike smirked. "Well you should see the other guy. His hand mostly. I tore that thing up."
Quinn giggled at Mike's self-deprecating comment but turned Mike's head to face hers. "Who was the other guy Mike?" She whispered.
Mike looked away from her for a moment, as if he was afraid to tell her. He then looked back into her eyes and told Quinn, "Puck... I think he's still in love with you."
Quinn was in shock. She had no idea why Puck would do such a thing. The last time they had talked they seemed to have come to an agreement on how they would proceed with their situation. He hadn't seemed too mad about everything and Quinn especially didn't understand how he was mad at Mike. Mike hadn't done anything to him. He was just a guy that liked a girl who liked someone else. Quinn wanted to scream at him, or punch him for being so mean but she had Mike to focus on at the moment. She had to convince him that Puck hadn't hit him for her or because of her.
"No," Quinn replied, "That can't be it. We've barely talked to each other. Are you sure you didn't do anything to him? Like steal his basketball jersey number or something stupid like that?"
Mike shook his head. "I haven't even talked to him much since we started going out. I don't know why the hell he would do it but he came to my house and sucker punched me when I answered the door. Then he got into his car and drove off."
Quinn sighed. Boys were so stupid and she didn't want to have any of this drama in her life. She wanted to be with Puck but he was making it so difficult. She didn't want to be with a jerk or someone that was insanely jealous. Puck was turning out to be that exact guy. She started to second guess herself. Mike was sweet. She had fun with Mike. Mike would never do something like punch another guy out for a stupid jealous reason. Quinn hated that she was always changing her mind with both of the boys.
"I'm sorry. He's probably jealous so this is all my fault." Quinn kissed Mike lightly on the cheek.
Mike took the ice in the cloth from Quinn's hand and put it on the dresser beside them. He held Quinn's hand. "It's not your fault that he's an asshole. Don't blame yourself for it."
Quinn smiled at him sweetly. Though a part of her wanted to defend Puck she did have to admit that what he had done was an asshole move.
Quinn fidgeted with her hands. "I still feel bad though. I don't want you two fighting over me. You guys used to be friends and now he's punching you in the face."
Mike shook his head. "Seriously, it's alright. Let him be jealous all he wants. It doesn't matter to me. You're still my girl... even if I can't feel my eye right now." Mike then leaned over and kissed her on the mouth. Quinn was caught off guard and didn't have anytime to stop the kiss from happening. She had been determined to keep the physical contact to a minimum so that Mike could at least see some sort of break up was imminent and he wouldn't be caught so off guard but she hadn't been able to react quick enough. Now she was left kissing him, or more him kissing her. Still, she felt bad about what had happened to Mike because she didn't have the guts to be honest, so she decided to let him kiss her. It would make him feel better and thus make her feel less guilty about accidentally getting him punched in the face.
Quinn kissed Mike back and tried to think of all the things she was going to scream at Puck the next chance she got. She wanted to call him stupid, a douche bag, an asshole, and so much more. He had been so immature and mean about something that she had thought they were on the same page about. Quinn's mind had drifted so far off from Mike that she hadn't even noticed when she was lying on her back with Mike's hand up her dress. She had no idea how she hadn't realized how far that they were getting but Quinn knew what Mike was expecting. He wanted sex and she knew that wasn't a good idea She was planning on breaking up with him in just three weeks so having sex didn't seem like a good thought at all. But she still felt so guilty about Puck punching him. Would it really be so bad if she gave in just once? It couldn't be terrible. It could make Mike forget about Puck and then she could be the sole one to lay down the law on the idiot. Plus, it just felt like something she should do. Her boyfriend was upset because of something she ha d inadvertently caused, and sex would make him happy once again. Would it really be so horrible?
Quinn made her decision and that night ended up being the first time Quinn had sex when she didn't want to. She forced herself into it so that Mike would be happy, not even thinking about the fact that she had no desire to sleep with him. Not that she wasn't attracted to him, or that she disliked him. She simply wasn't in the mood and she didn't feel it was right when she knew that she was going to break up with him in mere weeks. Still, Quinn did the deed and she couldn't take it back. Mike left her house shortly after. Quinn's mom had called and said that she was going to be home in a half an hour so Mike thought that it was his cue to leave. They said their goodbyes and Quinn told Mike to have a good trip in China. Once he had Quinn began to lay into herself.
"I'm an idiot," She whispered to herself, "A stupid, stupid, idiot! What am I doing? Kissing Puck then sleeping with Mike. This is all so wrong. But Puck was an idiot! Why did he have to punch Mike? It doesn't make any sense! Ugh, I hate this! I hate all of this stupid, pointless drama!"
Quinn felt a few tears fall out of her eyes which only further added to her frustration. "Great now I'm crying," She sneered, "I'm pathetic! Why the hell did I sleep with him... I'm too young to be pretending to want to have sex! This sucks, this sucks, this sucks!" Quinn was pacing around her room, trying to calm herself down. She wouldn't be seeing Mike for two weeks, which she thought made things easier. She would have time to process things, and a lot of time to talk to Puck. Speaking of Puck, she was still furious at him. She got that seeing her with Mike wasn't easy for him, but he had no right to punch him like he had done. Quinn wanted to yell at him, and she honestly couldn't control her anger any longer. She picked up her purse and walked outside to her car.
Quinn drove carefully to Puck's house, trying to plan out what to scream at him in her head. She wanted to tell him how he always seemed to want to screw things up between them. She wanted to beg him to just be mature for once so they could actually be a couple. She wanted to slap him across the face for what he had done to Mike, but most importantly, she wanted to hear his reasoning. She had a hard time accepting the fact that the boy she cared about so much was so hellbent on always destructing their tries at a relationship.
Quinn parked on the side of the street and walked up to the front door of the Puckerman household. It was reaching eleven o' clock and Quinn didn't want to wake up Puck's little sister, but she had to do this. She rang the doorbell and prayed to God that Mrs. Puckerman didn't answer the door. It had always been clear the disdain both women shared for each other. However, it was clear that today was not Quinn's lucky day and when the front door opened there was Puck's mom on the other side.
Mrs. Puckerman rolled her eyes when she saw Quinn standing in front of her. "What," She sarcastically asked, "Pregnant again?"
Quinn put a hand on her hip, kept her head up high, and tried to be respectful and the more mature person. "No, but I need to talk to your son."
Mrs. Puckerman sighed. "It's late and my daughter is asleep. I don't need you two screaming and yelling at each other."
Quinn looked Mrs. Puckerman in the eye and softly asked, "Please? Can you just tell him that I'm here? I really need to talk to him."
Puck's mother sighed, but relented. She walked inside of the house and a minute later the door opened again and Puck was now on the other side. His shirt was off and he was only wearing a pair of sweatpants. Quinn tried to control her urge to check out his impressive abs and focus solely on giving him a piece of his mind.
"Come outside and close the door," Quinn ordered, "I don't want to wake your little sister."
Puck nodded and closed the door behind him. He sat down on the step in front of the house and Quinn followed suit. She sighed. After wanting to come over to scream at the boy, she simply didn't have the energy anymore. Instead she whispered, "You can't hit Mike."
Puck nodded. "I know."
"You were an asshole."
"I know."
"I'm still with him."
"I know."
"He didn't do anything wrong."
"I know."
Quinn now felt like she wanted to scream. Puck was too frustrating. "Say something else rather I know!" She cried as she crossed her arms across her chest.
Puck shrugged his shoulders. "I didn't plan it or anything. I was just mad. First I find out that you guys had been sleeping together and then you wanted me to wait around for three weeks while you still went out with him. I was jealous so I got into my truck with some eggs. Egging random people always helps me calm down but I was still mad and all the eggs were gone. Then I realized that I was on Mike's street and it just all happened from there. It was stupid... but I'm not really that smart to begin with"
Quinn exhaled and turned to face Puck. He looked at her and made eye contact. "Where is this going?"
Puck gave her a confused look signalling Quinn to explain herself further. She did as such. "I thought I knew for a minute. I thought that you wanted to be with me and that I wanted to be with you. Now I'm not so sure. You were just so stupid and it just makes me thing... do you really want to be with me or do you just want to prove to Mike that you can be with me?"
"You're not some fucking prize pig at a fair Quinn," Puck whispered to her, "You're the girl I want to be with. I... I love you."
That was it. Quinn wanted to melt into a million little pieces. There were the three words she was so afraid that she would never hear from Puck again. He still loved her. She hadn't thought it possible. She thought that somehow they would have to learn to love each other again, even if Quinn still felt that her feelings of love for Puck were still there.
"Three weeks," She reminded him, "Don't tell me things like that until then."
Puck smiled genuinely at her. "You mean you're still going to break up with Mike?"
Quinn nodded. "But you can't do anything stupid again. Mike's a really good guy Puck and I hated you when he told me that you punched him. Do it again and then there's no us ever again."
Puck understood and asked, "Can I at least give you a hug or is that too much contact?"
Quinn smirked and allowed the hug. She opened up her arms and wrapped them around the boy. His body was warm, and Quinn wanted to kiss him as she felt his bare chest and arms wrap around her. She had to stick to her morals though and she made sure not to let her lips anywhere near his body. She couldn't risk him thinking she was kissing his neck or chest and then leading them on to doing more. Still, his tight muscles were making it all the harder not to star making out with him that very minute.
Both broke apart from the hug and Quinn stood up. "I have to go, but text Mike and apologize. It's the least you can do."
Puck agreed and waved Quinn off before he reentered his house to what Quinn could only expect to be a field of questions from his mother. Quinn tried to wipe the thought from her mind however and drove home where she was welcomed to her comfy bed and a good night's sleep.
The next morning Quinn quickly got ready for her girl's day with Mercedes. She was looking forward to it as it was a day she wouldn't have to put up with the Mike or Puck dramatics that had become her life. She could simply have a good time with her best friend and enjoy life and being a normal teenager. Quinn drove to the nail salon and found Mercedes already waiting for her in the salon, picking out the colour she wanted for her manicure.
Quinn sighed. "I didn't think I was late." She explained but Mercedes cut her off. "You're not, my mom had to drop me off ten minutes early. Now come here and help me pick out a fierce nail colour for me girl."
Quinn smiled and walked over to study the nail varnishes that Mercedes was contemplating. Quinn thought about suggesting a bright red but realized how cliche and overdone that was. Then she saw bright light purple and held it up to Mercedes. "This would look amazing on you!" She squealed.
Mercedes smiled. "You're a lot more than a pretty face." The two girls laughed and then tried to think of a good colour for Quinn to get her nails painted. They ended up deciding on a pale pink that went with Quinn's whole innocent and wholesome look. The real gossip and talking started when they started getting their nails painted however.
"How was your New Year's get together?" Quinn asked.
Mercedes smiled and started dishing. "It was really fun. It's too bad that you couldn't make it, but I'm sure you had fun at your party. Except... you did happen to miss Artie and Tina singing Good Girls Go Bad, it was hilarious."
Quinn giggled at the mere thought of the pair singing the song but then was instantly reminded of something else. "Wait, Tina was there with you guys?"
Mercedes stared at Quinn like she had a third head. "Of course she was... didn't I tell you that?"
Quinn nodded. "Yeah, you did but... well was Rachel with you guys then?"
Mercedes again stared at Rachel strangely. "We're not the biggest fans of Ms. Berry. We usually like to keep her out of social situations like these. Why are you being so weird?"
Quinn bit her lip, not knowing if she should tell Mercedes or not what Finn had told her at the New Year's party. In the end she realized that Mercedes was her best friend and she should be able to trust her with the information. "It's just that Finn was at the same party Mike and I went to but Rachel wasn't with him. She told him that she was going out with Tina instead. It's just strange."
Mercedes smiled. "You mean we have our first scandal between Finn and Rachel now? Good job on hunting down the gossip Quinn!"
Quinn raised an eyebrow. "I wasn't hunting anything down Mercedes," She defended, "And I don't think it's a scandal... do you? You don't think she was with another guy or anything right?"
Mercedes shrugged her shoulders and put on a secretive face. "I don't know. She'd be stupid to cheat on Finn... especially after how long she had been chasing him down last year, but it's Rachel we're talking about here. She does things that no one can fully explain properly."
Quinn fidgeted in her seat nervously. She wasn't a fan of Rachel Berry in the least but she did like Finn a lot. She didn't want him getting hurt, especially after all of the hurt she had caused him the year before, something she still never forgave herself for. Also, Quinn could tell from Mercedes' face that she wasn't telling her something. She needed to get to the bottom of it.
"You know something else," Quinn said, "Spill it."
Mercedes gave a little giggle and did as she was told. She never was one to keep secrets well. "Okay I'll tell you, but you can't freak out. Basically I overheard Rachel talking to someone on her cell phone after Glee Club one day. She was in an empty classroom and Finn was at football practice or something like that. Anyways I'm almost positive that she was talking to Jesse, and that they were planning to meet up sometime during the winter break."
Quinn's mouth dropped open. She hadn't been expecting that at all. Jesse had left New Directions to go back to Vocal Adrenaline, and he had humiliated Rachel on his way out. Quinn had no idea why the girl would even want to talk to the jerk again, never mind actually wanting to meet up with him. She also couldn't understand why she would risk everything she had with Finn with some idiot who, though he was very cute, wasn't even living in the same state as her anymore. Finn and Rachel seemed happy together. Why would Rachel throw it all away for an old flame? It simply didn't make any sense whatsoever.
"I'll have to tell Finn." Quinn stated. It had to be done. She wasn't going to let Finn be hurt again. She had hurt him enough for a lifetime, and he didn't need any pain coming his way for a while.
Mercedes shook her head. "You can't."
"Why not?" Quinn couldn't believe that Mercedes was trying to protect Rachel in the situation.
"If you do then he'll get angry, break up with Rachel, and then all of Glee Club will be awkward and fall apart. Maybe Rachel didn't do anything. We can't jump to conclusions. It's best for us to just mind our own business."
Quinn turned her glance away from Mercedes. She really didn't understand her friend's logic. Finn deserved to know the truth. Rachel didn't deserve to screw around with the sweet boy because he was trusting and naive. "He needs to know Mercedes. Rachel can't get away with everything. You can't let her get away with everything just because you're afraid that Glee Club will break apart. It's not fair. The bitch has to learn her place."
Mercedes stared at her friend, wondering if her anger was due to trying to protect Finn or just due to her immense hatred of Rachel. "Well at least ask Rachel about it first. Maybe she has a good reasoning for it. Don't tell Finn when we don't even know the whole story yet."
Quinn sighed. "Fine," She agreed, "But if she doesn't have a really good reason - and I mean a really good reason - then Finn is going to know everything."
Mercedes agreed with Quinn and the conversation turned back to light subjects such as what the other got for Christmas and how they dreaded going back to school so soon.
"How was your New Year's," Mercedes asked, "I totally forgot to mention it."
Quinn bit the inside of her cheek, a nervous habit. "It was... interesting. Lots and lots of drama."
"Explain yourself woman." Mercedes teased.
Quinn turned her gaze to her friend. "Mike grinded with some other girl. Olivia, that volleyball slut. Then he lied about it, but later admitted to it. But then he got mad at me for talking to Puck, and then he was furious when I told him that we were going to visit Beth together. He said that we needed a break and didn't talk to me for a few days. But other than that, it was a really awesome party."
Mercedes' mouth was hanging open. She managed to close it and make out, "Wait, rewind... you and Puck visited Beth? When?"
Quinn smiled. "Two days ago. She's the cutest thing in the world. It killed me to leave her though and I thought I was going to have a breakdown but Puck managed to calm me down. She's amazing though. She giggles at everything and is so soft. I didn't bring any pictures but I'll make sure to e-mail you some when I get home."
Mercedes was still in shock. "So you and Puck are now on speaking terms?"
Quinn smiled. "He's not a bad guy Mercedes. He's apologized for everything and he really is so sweet. We understand each other. Plus, it wasn't like I was going to visit Beth without him."
Mercedes nodded. "But... well this is just so sudden girl. What does Mike think of it all? Has he talked to you since?"
Quinn bit her lip. "See, there's more to the story. A lot more. Basically Mike didn't talk to me for a few days and then Puck and I went to visit Beth. we had a good time and went to dinner afterwards. He was being so sweet, and so not the douche bag he usually is. At the end of the night... we kissed, and I know I shouldn't have done it but Mike had sent me a text saying we needed to talk and that almost always means that a breakup is on the way so I was just so confused and angry. Anyways Puck and I decided we wanted to be with each other again... for real this time, so we planned that once Mike broke up with me the next day we could start dating again. The only problem is that Mike didn't want to break up with me. He started apologizing and I felt terrible. Then he starts telling me that his grandmother who he was close with just passed away so he had to go to China for two weeks with his family to settle everything. So I couldn't break up with him. I told Puck about it all and how we would have to wait at least a week after Mike came back from China for me to break up with him so he wouldn't get too hurt. Puck wasn't liking that we would have to wait three weeks though and he went and punched Mike in the face for some stupid reason. Everything is so complicated and so confusing but... in the end I want to be with Puck. Once Mike comes back I'm going to wait a week and then tell him that we're better off as friends. Then Puck and I can be together."
Quinn was out of breath by the time she finished explaining everything. She hoped that Mercedes would be supportive and understood exactly where she was coming from. Unfortunately, Quinn was not so lucky.
"I think you're being an idiot." Mercedes told her point blank. Quinn frowned. "Thanks for the support." Quinn sarcastically said.
Mercedes shook her head. "You're a ping pong ball Quinn! It's always Finn, Puck, Finn, Puck, Mike, Puck, Mike, Puck. Why can't you ever just make it work with one guy? No wait, why can't you ever just be happy on your own? You don't need a boyfriend to make you happy with yourself."
Quinn furrowed her eyebrows. She was upset that Mercedes was making her seem like an insecure little girl. "This isn't me needing to be with someone Mercedes. This is me being in love with Puck and wanting him to be my boyfriend."
Mercedes shrugged her shoulders. "You're in love with being in a relationship. You need to be happy with yourself before you can truly be happy with someone else Quinn. I'm not trying to be mean. I'm just trying to help you out."
Quinn was done with the subject. She didn't want to get into a fight with Mercedes when they still had plans after the manicure. Plus, she didn't want to second guess her decision to be with Puck anymore than she already had. "Let's move on to another subject," She suggested, "This day was for having fun, not for arguing. How are you and Dwayne?"
Mercedes seemed to get the message and started telling Quinn a story of what Dwayne had bought her for Christmas. Quinn tried paying attention but she couldn't help her mind drifting off and wondering if Mercedes was right about her.
The rest of the day was spent with the two girls having fun and laughing. They both stayed away from sore subjects like Puck or Mike and simply had a good time with each other.
When Quinn returned home she sat on the living room couch trying to put all thoughts of Mike and Puck out of her mind. She decided that a good distraction would to be figure out what had really happened between Rachel and Jesse on New Year's. Quinn took out her cell phone and called Rachel's number. She only had the number because Rachel had insisted the whole Glee Club have each other's incase there was a mega emergency. Quinn had previously contemplated deleting Rachel's number off of her phone but was now glad that she hadn't as it had come in handy.
"Hello?" Quinn could hear the perkiness and high-pitched voice clear as day and she couldn't help but cringe.
"Hey Rachel, it's Quinn." She tried to sound as polite and casual as possible, but she had a feeling that Rachel would know she had ulterior motives.
"I don't mean to be rude," Rachel said from the other line, "But you and me have never really been the best of friends. I've always been a better singer than you, you've always made it your mission to try and bring me down, and of course there was the whole Finn drama from last year so... why exactly are you calling me?"
Quinn rolled her eyes at Rachel who seemed to always bring up their bad blood every chance she got. "I just wanted to see how you were doing... you know if you were having a good break and all. But now that you mentioned him, how have things been going with you and Finn?"
This seemed to make Rachel more chipper. "Oh they're absolutely perfect. We're very much in love. I push him to be as talented as he can and he balances me out very well. I mean there was a little trouble when I found out that he had slept with Santana but we got over that. We're just that strong of a couple."
"Mhmm," Quinn muttered, "Well then would you mind telling me why you spent New Year's with Jesse rather than Finn?"
There was silence on the other line and Quinn knew that it had to be true. Rachel never was one to keep quiet or be silenced so it was obvious that she had been caught. "Uhmm... I don't know what you're talking about Quinn. I was hanging out with Tina on New Year's."
"No you weren't," Quinn said in a sing song manner, "Tina was hanging out with Mercedes and some of the other Glee Club members."
"Wh- Who told you that I was hanging out with Jesse?" Rachel stuttered.
Quinn smiled as she set her plan into motion to receive confirmation on her suspicions. "Jesse did."
"No he didn't," Rachel immediately interjected, "He told me that he doesn't talk to any of the other New Directions kids!"
That was all Quinn needed to hear. "Aha! So you have been talking to him!"
"No," Rachel cried, "Okay... fine, I have been, but not really. He called me once and said he wanted to talk and apologize. New Year's was the only day he could do it. It wasn't like anything happened!"
Quinn was proud of herself for being able to get information out of Rachel so easily, but it was Rachel and she wasn't exactly the most tight lipped girl on the planet. "Well if it's not a big deal then why didn't you just tell Finn the truth?"
Rachel sighed. "You know he would get jealous and overreact Quinn. That doesn't mean that I'm hiding anything though. All we did was talk about last year. He apologized and told me about UCLA. That's it. Please, don't tell Finn. I know we don't like each other too much but I would never do that to you."
Quinn had to roll her eyes so much that she thought her eyes would stay stuck that way. "You were the one who told Finn that it was Puck's baby!"
"That was different... okay maybe it wasn't , but I'm sorry about that. Please though, please do not tell Finn. He'll start getting scared that I kept it from him and our whole relationship could fall apart!"
Quinn let out a small chuckle. "I thought your relationship was so, so strong?"
"Please," Rachel begged, "Please do not tell Finn."
Quinn thought about it for a second. Rachel seemed very worried, and she did seem sincere when she was saying that nothing happened between her and Jesse other than talking. "You promise that you didn't cheat on Finn?"
Rachel was quick to respond. "I promise. I swear on Barbara Streisand."
"Fine," Quinn relented, "I'll keep your secret, but if I ever need a favour you have to promise that you'll owe me one. No matter how big it is." Quinn figured that if she was going to be keeping Rachel's secret, and thus being semi-nice to her, she might as well get something out of doing it.
"I won't break any of the commandments for you... but otherwise fine I will." Rachel's voice seemed defeated which was a good thing. It just showed that when it came down to it, Quinn was the head bitch in charge she had once been.
Quinn hung up the phone after promising she would keep Rachel's secret and turned on the TV. It was a rerun of America's Best Dance Crew. Quinn sighed and was reminded of Mike. What was she going to do with the whole Mike and Puck situation? She thought she had it all figured out, but after her talk with Mercedes Quinn wasn't so sure anymore. She quickly flipped the channel and tried to take her mind off of such matters.
Author's Note: (Please Read!)
Thank you so much for reading the chapter first off, and I hope all of you enjoyed it! I once again must apologize for the terribly long wait! I really am so sorry! I planned on writing it sooner but I've been incredibly busy lately. However this weekend I was free and made myself write every moment that I could! Surprisingly there was absolutely no writer's block and I wrote more this chapter in two days then I did last time in more than a week! Anyways, I hope you all loved the chapter even if it was filled with a lot of angst.
Also, I want to thank those who have been reviewing the chapters so, so, so much! You all are awesome and I appreciate every single review so much! It really takes a lot of time and effort to write which makes it so rewarding to receive reviews! I'd also like to thank those who have been setting the story or myself as an author to their alerts or favourites! It's such a great compliment!
I'm not exactly sure right now, but I think that the next chapter will be the last for this story. I don't want to drag it out and I have a good idea in my head for an ending that would have to take place in the next chapter.
The next story I have in my head is completely AU. The pairing would be Jesse/Quinn. How do you all feel about that couple? Let me know in the reviews! A lot of people say "huh?" when I mention Quinn/Jesse as a couple but check out some fan vids on youtube of the pairing and I dare you not to ship them!
Again thank you so much for reading! Also, writer's take great time and energy to create stories, so if you have the time I would greatly appreciate if you could review this story :) It could be a word, a sentence, or even a whole paragraph! Any comments or suggestions are welcome and I look forward to hearing them! :)
Until next time,
Happy Reading! =)