Once school started back up Quinn was able to get back on track with her life. Cheerio's and Glee Club were both in full swing and Quinn felt better having a schedule and some sense of normalcy to her life. Winter break had been full of drama and left with Quinn with a lot of empty time to think about said drama. Seeing Puck at school every day didn't make not thinking about her situation with him and Mike any easier, but at least she had other activities to occupy her time with while she was at school.
Rachel was acting a lot nicer to her during Glee Club. It was clear that she was afraid of the threat of Quinn spilling her secret so she was trying her best not to ruffle any feathers with the head Cheerio. She had even managed to not make any comments when Quinn's voice had gone sharp for a moment during one of their rehearsals. It may not be a big deal for anyone else, but for Rachel it had taken immense will power to hold her tongue and keep silent.
Coach Sylvester had been spending her winter break developing super hard routines for the Cheerio's. It was going to be set to a Madonna song that Kurt was more than pleased to be singing. The song was Hung Up and it required Quinn to push herself farther than ever to master the moves. Santana had been waiting patiently in the middle of the pyramid for Quinn to quiver, or slip when it was time for her to do a flip from the top of the pyramid down to the ground. The frenemy was determined to become the head cheerleader and she was convinced that if Coach Sylvester saw that Quinn was not capable of completing the tough moves she would be able to win said position. Quinn could see Santana's excitement and anticipation written on her face though so she made sure that she did the move perfectly. Quinn would be damned if she lost her shiny title to the girl. She made sure that she had the flip down perfectly and that she kept her stage face plastered on during the whole thing. coach Sylvester was impressed, and Quinn's title of head cheerio remained intact.
"Santana wants you to get pregnant again," Brittany told Quinn randomly one day after practice.
Quinn gave the dim witted blonde a confused face. "What are you talking about? Why?"
Brittany shrugged her shoulders. "She said something about life being better when you were in spandex pants and she was on top of the pyramid. Then I saw something shiny and I stopped listening."
Quinn rolled her eyes. She had dealt with Santana's jealously fuelled fits before but she had thought that after so long of Quinn being back on top she would have accepted things. Honestly, Santana should have just been pleased for having those few months last year where she was top dog. Before Quinn's pregnancy news had broke no one had anticipated a fall from grace for her, so in reality Santana had been lucky to experience being Head Bitch in Charge, even if it hadn't been for as long as she probably had wanted. Still, Quinn wouldn't be surprised if Santana tried to steal her birth control pills so she could replace them with placebos.
Truthfully, Quinn actually enjoyed the Santana drama as it was a great distraction. Of course when everything was better and she was with Puck, Quinn would want it all to end, but at this point when Quinn was in the awkward limbo point between Mike and Puck she was happy to have something to take her mind off of things. That's why Cheerio's, Glee Club, and the massive stack of homework due had also become her best friends.
A good part of Mike being in China was that Quinn was more free to talk with Puck openly. Sure, Quinn suspected that Mike had enlisted Matt to e-mail him immediately if he saw anything funny between the two, but Quinn didn't think there was any harm in talking to him during Glee Club or between classes. She made sure never to eat lunch with him. That seemed too personal and would make everyone suspicious. She continued to divide her lunch time up between the Cheerio's and Jocks, and Mercedes and Kurt. Anyways, Quinn felt more comfortable talking to Puck in public and it was actually refreshing. All of their time had mostly been spent in private, or in places they didn't suspect anyone they knew to be. It was nice to see how they interacted when there were other people around. Quinn deemed it necessary so she could see if they would be natural as a real couple. It seemed to be working out fine. Puck wasn't as sweet as he was when they were alone, but that was to be expected. However he was never a jerk to her and Quinn knew she had to give him some leeway. He did have a badass reputation to uphold after all.
"Rachel's being too nice to me." Quinn complained to Puck one day after Glee Club rehearsal. They were both walking to their cars and Quinn couldn't hold her frustrations in anymore. When she had blackmailed Rachel into doing her a favour whenever she needed it in exchange for keeping her rendezvous with Jesse a secret she had never expected Rachel to act like they were new best friends. Rachel had been constantly nominating Quinn for solos, offering her help on vocal techniques while somehow managing not to brag about her own singing voice, making small talk at every opportunity, and even making her a damn batch of cookies! Quinn couldn't take it anymore.
"Just draw another one of those naked pictures of her around the school." Puck suggested.
Quinn frowned. That had been something she had taken great pleasure in doing last year, but she had matured and known how much those types of things could hurt people. She still liked to give backhanded compliments and threaten people, but Quinn felt above cruel jokes and pornographic photos at this point of her life. She felt like she would do what she needed to remain popular, but that she wasn't going to be mean when she didn't mean to be. Sometimes a Cheerio needed to be put in her place and yelled at, but Quinn didn't need to plan out practical jokes just for fun anymore. Quinn had actually been surprised by her own growth.
"No," She told him, "I'm not doing that anymore. And you shouldn't be throwing kids into dumpsters anymore. We're more mature than that now."
Puck shrugged her comment off. "I don't do it too much. Only when some punk really deserves it… or when I need to remind people that I'm a badass."
Quinn smirked but she was glad to hear that Puck wasn't bullying kids as much as he had been at the start of the year. She remembered back to when her and Mike had passed by Puck and his neanderthal friends about to throw Mike's brother's friend into the dumpster and how disgusted she had been with his attitude. She was much happier now that he had seemed to calm down a tad with the bullying.
"Maybe you could call her out for me," Quinn suggested, "You know, the next time Rachel starts being all Jennifer Aniston - Courtney Cox with me maybe you could ask her why she's being so nice. That'll probably shut her up quick."
Puck turned to Quinn and put an arm on her shoulder for her to stop walking and stand still. "Why? What do you have on her?"
Quinn should have known that Puck would sense that there was more than meets the eye with the Rachel situation. He himself had lots of experience in blackmail so it wasn't a surprise that he had guessed that something was up. Still, Quinn didn't want to blab the secret, especially since Puck and Finn were finally friends again which meant that Puck would automatically "protect his bro" and tell him about Rachel meeting up with her ex.
Quinn ultimately made the decision to keep the secure to herself. "Nothing. Just something stupid that she's overreacting about. Anyways I have to get her off of my back. Maybe I'll just crumble up those stupid cookies she baked me and pour them all into her locker."
Puck smiled and licked his lips. "You have no idea how hot you are when you're being evil."
Quinn giggled and started walking again. The pair made their way out of the main foyer doors and continued walking in the direction of the parking lot. "You and Santana are friends right?"
Quinn asked the question already knowing the answer. Though Puck and Santana had been the most on again off again couple in all of McKingly High School history they always seemed to remain friends. They joked around with each other, told each other secrets, and hung out a lot. Quinn wasn't afraid that Puck was fooling around with her, at least she didn't think he had after they had created the plan to get back together, but she needed to ask Puck something pertaining to that situation.
Puck didn't know that however so he tried to play it cool and casually shrugged. "I guess. She's a cool chick."
Quinn nodded. "Are you going to stay friends with her once we start going out?"
Puck was now positive that Quinn was being jealous. He had no idea how wrong he was. "Listen babe, you don't got to worry about that. I'm not going to cheat."
Quinn rolled her eyes. "I don't think that egghead. I'm fine if you're friends with her. I don't want to be one of those possessive, catty girlfriends. I was just wondering if you wanted to stay friends with her."
Puck causally nodded. "Yeah… well I mean I guess I do."
Quinn smiled and got ready for what she had been waiting to say. "So you won't mind me staying friends with Mike."
Puck stood still as Quinn continued walking to her car. She realized that Puck was no longer beside her and turned around. "What?" She innocently asked.
"You never said you wanted to be friends with Mike." Puck pointed out to her.
Quinn gave Puck a slight grin and walked back towards him, stopping in front of him. "But I like him. He' s a good guy. You're friends with Santana. What's the problem if I'm friends with Mike? Unless you'd be jealous…"
Puck immediately became defensive. "The Puckerone is too cool for that. I just don't understand why you'd want to be friends with that clown when you'd be dating the man, the myth, the legend."
Quinn smirked. "I want to be friends with him… and if we can't even agree on this then I don't know if there's much hope for us after all."
"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Puck replied putting his hands up, "Let's not be hasty. I never said you couldn't be friends with him, i just said I didn't understand it."
Quinn laughed and was glad that Puck would be fine with her being friends with Mike. She wanted to continue to hang out with her boyfriend as he was fun to be around and super sweet. He was a good guy, the best guy. She hated that she was going to hurt him so much but she had a feeling that if they stayed friends that things would be able to smooth over well.
They stopped walking in front of Quinn's car. The girl's back was turned to it and she was facing Puck. He gave her one of those smiles of his that made her want to melt into a million little pieces. He leaned in just a tad, not too much that it would look strange to anyone passing by, but just enough so that Quinn would take notice. He whispered, "This is the part where'd I kiss you… but apparently that's against the rules."
Quinn giggled. "That's right. No kissing until I'm single."
Puck sighed. "What about an ass grab?"
That comment immediately responded in an eye roll from Quinn, even though secretly she was amused. "Goodbye Puck."
"Bye Quinn." The boy walked over to his truck and both teenagers both drove to their respective homes.
Things went on very much the same from that point on. Quinn would distract herself with Glee, school, and Cheerio's while also enjoying spending time with Puck. She was actually surprised how well they were getting along, and how faithful Puck seemed to be on his promise to wait for her. She knew it was a big deal for him. Quinn didn't hear much from Mike. He was visiting with a whole bunch of relatives in China and didn't have everyday access to a computer. He sent her e-mails occasionally, and she would respond but they were basically filled with small talk. They would talk about the weather, school, glee, and their group of friends, but nothing especially substantial. Quinn didn't know if it was her fault, or a sign that their relationship was not what it used to be.
Though Quinn and Puck had tried to keep their friendship and flirting on the down-low, Quinn realized that she hadn't been doing as good of a job as she had thought. This was realized when Matt came up to her one day between classes.
"Quinn, can I talk to you about something?" He asked. Quinn was nervous that her cover had been revealed so she slowly nodded her head and allowed Matt to continue. "Is there something going on with you and Puck? Cause the last time I checked you were all over my boy Mike and now you seem to be attached to Puck's arm since Mike's in China."
Quinn played it cool and put on her legendary poker face. She wasn't going to look like she had been caught, especially not in front of Mike's best friend who was loyal to a fault. "Puck is my friend. We've been talking since we visited Beth during the break. Mike knows and he's fine with it. Don't worry about it Matt; it'll just give you acne."
Her answer seemed to satisfy Matt and he walked away without another word. Quinn breathed a sigh of relief and was so glad that she had not been caught. Time was running out and she only had a little bit of time left to continue on with the facade that her and Puck were just friends and that she was still in adoration with Mike.
After school Quinn found Puck at his locker. He was putting his backpack into it. Quinn walked over to him. "Want to hang out at my house?" She offered.
Quinn knew that it may not be the safest of invitations since Matt had just questioned about her and Puck becoming too close but Quinn didn't care. She wanted to hang out with Puck and it wasn't like they were going to do anything. Quinn was sticking to her guns on that one. Also, Matt was on the other side of the school being confronted by Santana for talking to Quinn when she had made it clear that he was not to add to her popularity at all so Quinn knew she was in the clear.
Puck turned towards the blonde haired beauty, "I'd like to, but I have basketball practice."
Quinn frowned. She had really been hoping to spend time with him that day. Puck seemed to take notice of Quinn's disappointment however and suggested, "I could come over after practice… if you want."
Quinn smiled and nodded. "Sounds good. See you then."
There was no Cheerio's practice that day because Coach Sylvester was having a "medical emergency" as she had told the members of the group. The rumour going around the school was that Mr. Schue had gotten her drunk and convinced to get a tattoo saying 'I'm a Gleek' across her lower back so she was having it removed. Quinn didn't mind. She liked having a break from the rigorous routines. Still, she thought that the dram between the two teachers was silly and very immature. She didn't understand why they couldn't get along but then again this was Ms. Sylvester and she wasn't the most understanding of people. One time a girl was upchucking tacos in the bathroom stall before Nationals and Coach Sylvester still made her perform, and then berated her for eating fatty tacos in the first place! In any case it was a welcome change to not have to worry about Cheerio's for a day.
She went home and finished her homework right away. Quinn was still keeping up with her grades as she knew it was her only way out of Lima. Not that she didn't love her mother or that she didn't appreciate her bringing her back into her home, but Quinn had always felt like she was bigger than Lima or even Ohio in general. Nobody became someone successful or famous being in Lima and Quinn knew it. She wanted to go to a really good school like NYU where she could get a quality education and also be in a city full of opportunities. The only way to get there though was through hard work, good grades, and extracurriculars. Being head Cheerio and a member of the Glee Club were excellent credentials. Being the captain of the Celibacy Club also would have shown her leadership and determination but Quinn knew that ship had sailed. Celibacy wasn't her deal anymore. She thought it was a great idea for some people, but ti just hadn't been the best plan for her.
That got Quinn thinking. She was seventeen years old and she had already slept with two boys. She had previously planned on waiting before marriage to have sex. That idea had been squashed during an incident involving wine coolers, a bruised self-esteem, and temptation. Still, Quinn didn't regret having sex with Puck. Well, she did the first time. She hadn't been ready at that point as was evident when she didn't even notice he wasn't wearing a condom, but she didn't regret having sex with him after she gave birth to Beth. Those times she was ready and felt good about it. She loved Puck and didn't feel bad about doing it at all. Now, Quinn didn't regret Beth at all. Sure, she wished that she had come at a different point in her life, or that there had been some easy way to keep her and still follow all of her dreams, but she never would take it back. Even though it caused her pain and humiliation Quinn had seen how beautiful and wonderful the baby girl was and couldn't imagine going back and doing anything different. Plus her mistakes in the past were now lessons for the present and for the future. Quinn had realized how much she had grown as a person from having Beth. She had become more aware of other people's feelings, she had become more compassionate, and she also had fallen in love with the baby's father.
One thought was nagging at the back of Quinn's mind. She didn't regret having sex with Puck. He was the only boy she had been in love with. However, Quinn was starting to realize that she did regret sleeping with Mike. She hadn't loved him. She didn't know why sex had seemed like a good idea at the time but as she was thinking back on it her decision to sleep with him seemed horrible. Mike was a good guy but she shouldn't have gone all the way with him. They didn't have that type of relationship. Quinn felt like an idiot for lying to herself and making herself believe it was what she wanted. The tears started forming in her eyes and Quinn attempted to hold herself together. It had been so wrong. Why had she done it? Not that she didn't like Mike, but she wasn't ready for sex with him. Quinn felt stupid and ridiculous. She waited eagerly for Puck to arrive at her house so that she could be comforted, even if it would be in Puck's awkward way of dealing with upset girls.
Quinn's mother came home before Puck arrived. Quinn was in the living room, curled up on the couch as she let tears lightly trail down her face. Ms. Fabray took notice and sat down on the couch beside her daughter. She looked genuinely concerned for her daughter which pleased Quinn. It had been not long ago when her mother had viewed her daughter as a trophy, something to brag about, but now she was viewing Quinn the way she should have all seventeen years of her life. "Quinnie, don't cry. What's wrong?"
Though Quinn was happy that her mother was taking notice of her being upset and showing concern, she didn't want to tell her the truth. Quinn could correctly assume that her mother knew that she had been having sex with Puck during the summer but she was still blissfully unaware that Quinn had slept with Mike and it wasn't something a teenage daughter enjoyed telling their mother. Ms. Fabray would freak. She hadn't been for having sex with Puck but she bought her daughter birth control pills because she didn't want to deny the inevitable addend up with a daughter pregnant for the second time as a teenager. Plus it seemed like the two really did care for each other. On the other hand, Ms. Fabray had seen Mike as a rebound relationship for Quinn and she didn't think that they were that serious at all. It would disappoint her if she knew that they had been hooking up. Therefore Quinn kept her lips zipped and made up a lame excuse.
"Nothing," Quinn lied, "I just got a C on my spanish test today. I studied hard for it and everything."
Ms. Fabray gently grazed Quinn's cheek with her hand and wiped away a few tears. "Honey, don't cry over a test. It's one test. Just figure out where you went wrong and do better next time. No need to waste water."
Quinn smiled and thanked her mother for comforting her. Ms. Fabray nodded and asked, "Do you want to watch a movie or something? Just us girls?"
Quinn felt bad. Her mother was reaching out to her after showing growth but Quinn had already made previous arrangements.
"I would, but Puck is coming over to hang out for a bit soon. Maybe after dinner we could watch a movie?"
"Puck," Ms. Fabray asked, completely ignoring the evening plans that Quinn had suggested, "I didn't know that him coming over was going to be a regular occurrence."
Quinn sighed. "We're friends. We just want to spend time with each other."
"Does Mike know?"
Quinn had to bite her tongue to not tell her mother that she would do well to mind her own business. Instead she replied, "He doesn't."
"Are you going to tell him?"
Quinn was becoming increasingly agitated. "There wouldn't be anything to tell. If I mentioned anything it would just make it out like there was something going on… which there isn't."
Ms. Fabray nodded and quietly exited the room, leaving her daughter to her own thoughts. Quinn hoped that Puck would arrive soon so thatch could stop thinking about Mike and thus feeling guilty about everything. If only her mother could have accepted that Puck was coming over without asking questions. Things would have been much easier.
A few minutes later Quinn heard the doorbell rang. She quickly went to answer it and smiled when she saw Puck.
Quinn motioned for Puck to move backwards. "I really don't want to be inside right now. My mom's acting weird. Can we just sit on the porch or something?"
Puck nodded, not asking any questions about her mother which Quinn was thankful for. Puck always knew that most times family matters were the last thing that anyone wanted to talk about. The pair sat on the top step of the Fabray Household porch.
Quinn took a deep breath to calm herself down from her mother's assumptions. "How was basketball practice?"
Puck shrugged his shoulders. "It was alright. Not like we're going to win games or anything though."
"Why not?"
Puck smirked at the blonde. "We never do. McKingly High is the running joke of Ohio. We never win anything. Except Cheerio's."
"And Glee Club," Quinn pointed out, "Well we won Sectionals at least. Two years straight."
Puck nodded. "Okay sorry. Any time that Quinn Fabray isn't a part of never wins squat."
The cheerleader giggled. "Very funny. It's not my fault if I'm awesome at everything I do."
Puck rolled his eyes at Quinn and she playfully slapped him on the side of his arm. "Be nice Puckerman."
Puck promised to try and then sat awkwardly in his letterman jacket beside Quinn, not knowing what to say. They were in the uncomfortable stage of being together without being together. All he wanted to do was wrap his arms around Quinn and kiss her but he knew that she wouldn't put up with it. Quinn was making sure that they didn't cross any sort of lines and boundaries no matter how much they both wanted to. Quinn noticed the awkwardness but couldn't think of anything to say. She was still distracted with the conversation with her mother previously. So instead of picking a fluffy, fun topic, she brought up the first thing that popped into her head.
"I don't think I'm ever going to be able to date anyone else again."
Puck gave Quinn a questioning glance telling her to further explain herself. Quinn did as such. "I think I'm going to start getting a reputation for cheating on boys with you, or leaving boys for you. No one is ever going to want to go out with me again."
Puck smiled and nonchalantly commented, "Then I guess you're just going to have to only date me from now on."
Quinn was shocked at Puck's comment. Sure, he had told her he loved her before but he had never said anything like what he had just said. It surprised her. He usually wasn't so sweet and kind. He had a hard shell around him and didn't let his soft side out much. Quinn was reminded of the sweet moments they had shared in the summer before school had started.
"Are you joking?" Quinn whispered, trying to make it out like she didn't care too much either way but she knew that it didn't sound like that at all. Her hopefulness was written all over her face.
Puck didn't tease Quinn for her apparent eagerness. He simply put his arm around her shoulder, shuffled in closer to her, kissed the top of her head and told her, "Yeah, I mean it."
Quinn couldn't take the grin off of her face. This was what she wanted. This is what she needed. Everything was coming together perfectly. She had been afraid that there was too much bad blood between her and Puck to ever have a successful real relationship for a moment, but now her fears were behind her. They were going to be fine. No - they were going to be great.
Quinn had to shift slightly away from Puck however, and have him drop his arm from around her shoulder. It wasn't something they should be doing as "just friends" so she had to put a stop to it… even if she had been enjoying it greatly. Puck didn't make a big deal about it. He had become accustomed to playing the friend role to Quinn even though they both had expressed their feelings to one another. He didn't like it, but he had accepted it. The conversation between the pair shifted to lighter subjects and they laughed and acted like the teenagers they were. They didn't have to put on the angst show and conflict each other with drama. Around an hour later Puck told Quinn that he had to leave so he could take care of his little sister while his mother was at work. Quinn quickly hugged him goodbye and went back inside her house.
Quinn stayed away from her mother for the rest of the night. She didn't want to have the conversation of the whole Puck and Mike drama that she knew her mother wanted to talk to her about. She stayed in her room, coming down in the kitchen to make herself a salad for dinner, and went back up to her bedroom. She didn't know where her mother was, that was until she heard a knock on her door at ten o' clock at night. Obviously it was her mother so Quinn reluctantly said, "Come in," and braced herself for the conversation that was bound to ensue.
"Quinnie, I think we need to talk," Ms. Fabray replied as she sauntered over closer to her daughter's bed where Quinn was laying, "I'm sorry if I made you upset earlier. I just don't want you to be foolish and ruin what you have with Mike over some other boy."
Quinn sat up from her horizontal position and lode at her mother sitting on the end of her bed. She didn't look malicious, and seemed sincere, and it made Quinn want to lay out the truth. She wasn't sure if she was strong enough to tell her mother. She had been keeping it from everyone else, but this was her mother. She was supposed to be trusted and able to give advice. It basically came with the title. Quinn decided to throw out a line of the truth.
"I think I like Puck again." The statement was simple and rang clear and true. Though she had used the words 'I think', Quinn knew her mother would understand that they had only been used because she was afraid to be thought of as completely foolish.
Ms. Fabray sighed and clicked her tongue. "Almost every girl will come to a crossroad at least once in her life where she is conflicted with deciding between two boys. One is usually nice, and good for the girl whereas the other one is different. He's more mysterious and edgy. It's hard to decipher whether you should pick the one that's good for you or the one that makes you feel something you've never felt before."
"So what," Quinn asked, "You think I should pick Mike? He's nice and good so I should just stay with him?"
Ms. Fabray shook her head. "No, I don't. You see, I had been stuck in a crossroad too once upon a time I was seeing a boy who my parents liked and that was becoming a prominent business man. He was a gentleman and was sweet to me. However I met this man at work and we begun a flirtation. He drove a motorcycle and had a tattoo which automatically made him a bad boy in the eyes of my parents and friends. I had to choose between the two and I ultimately decided to continue seeing the boy who my parents liked."
Quinn had never been one for story time but she was intrigued with the tale her mother was telling her. "What happened then?"
Ms. Fabray frowned. "We got married and had two lovely and beautiful daughters… but it didn't work out. Turns out he wasn't as nice as he had once appeared. However I found out a few years into marrying your father that the other boy I had strong feelings for had been arrested and was in jail for nine years. Something to do with theft. Anyways, do you see what I'm getting at?"
Quinn honestly didn't. Still, she made an attempt to guess. "You're saying that I should stick with Mike and just hope that he doesn't start cheating on me with some Jesse James mistress look a like?"
Ms. Fabray smirked at her daughter's comment but shook her head. "No," She answered, "I'm trying to say that even though at the moment this choice seems like it has to be made and that there has to be a winner… well that's not the case. You always have the choice not to choose. You could be single for a while Quinnie and figure out what you really want in a relationship. You're bouncing around rather quickly into relationships and maybe you need a little time to yourself. Believe me, if I could go back to when I made my decision I would have broken things off with your father, rejected the bad boy and spent some time with myself. Maybe I could have found the man I was meant to be with, or maybe I could've learnt how to be more assertive. I… I just don't want you to make the same mistake I did Quinn because you feel that you have to make a choice. You don't."
Quinn could see that her mother was teary-eyed and it made her stomach drop. Her mother was laying everything, all of her feelings and stories of the oats out on the table at the hopes that she could reach her daughter. Quinn was reminded of her conversation with Mercedes and thought that the two talks had been eerily similar. The teenager wondered if maybe everyone was right and she did need some time to herself. It was after all her mother and best friend telling her to do so. They wouldn't give her bad advice on purpose. Still, she wanted to be with Puck. She honestly and truly did.
She bit her lip as she tried to explain herself to her mother, without going into too much detail as they didn't have that kind of relationship yet. She wanted to be ultra close with her mother and tell her everything, but their past was filled with a lot of bad memories. "I'm afraid that if I tell Puck that he'll leave and never come back. He'll think that I'm always stringing him along and telling him that there's a chance when there isn't."
Ms. Fabray stood up an domed closer to where Quinn was sitting on the bed. She then sat down on the edge and put a hand on her shoulder. "If he truly wants to be with you now then he'll want to be with you then."
Quinn shook her head and let out a little chuckle. "You don't understand. Puck isn't used to waiting around for someone. If I want to be alone then he won't do the same. He'll go off with one of the other Cheerio's or some slut."
Her mother frowned at the vulgarity. "Do you really want to be with him if he's not willing to be patient?"
Quinn nodded, but this time she was more hesitant. "He's not used to having a girlfriend or being serious with anyone. I can't hold it against him. He does care about me though, but if I tell him I want to be alone he'll just take it as a sign that I don't want to be his girlfriend."
"I see." Ms. Fabray didn't know what to say past that point. She felt like she had told her daughter so much of how she should solve her problems and that it was hard to see her still fret about a boy. She wanted the best for her daughter. She could see that Puck made her happy, but if he wasn't willing to wait for Quinn to be ready to have a relationship then Ms. Fabray wasn't sure if she wanted her daughter dating him.
Quinn was also very perplexed by the entire situation. She thought she had everything figured out. She was going to dump Mike and start dating Puck. It was easy a plan as ever. But those close to her didn't share her enthusiasm for the plan. There was too much drama that Quinn was seriously contemplating if a break from boys was really what she needed. She would still want to be with Puck but at first she might need some time to herself. Still, Puck probably wouldn't take well to her telling him that.
"Mom," Quinn asked, "What should I do?"
Ms. Fabray looked at her daughter sympathetically and hoped that her words would come out right. "Honey I can't tell you that. If you're able to have a baby then I think that you're able to make this decision. In the end just make sure that you're happy."
Quinn nodded and knew that it was all she was going to get out of her mother. Nonetheless her mother had really opened up to her that night. She had been warm, compassionate, and actually talked about her past, something that had been never mentioned before except for excerpts of her relationship with Mr. Fabray or her days of being popular. Her mother had a seemingly perfect life. She had been a cheerleader, president of her school's own celibacy club, a tennis player, and she had more friends than she could've kept track of. One night when Quinn and her sister were little and they had been left with a babysitter, they had snuck into her parents room and found a bunch of old love letters stuck between the pages of her mother's yearbook, hidden in a box in the closet. It was evident that all the boys liked her. Ms. Fabray had received good grades, went to all of the best parties, and managed to continue a relationship with God by praying, leading a community youth group, and going to church every Sunday. She had even stayed a virgin until she was married. Quinn was scared that with all her mother had done to strengthen her relationship with God that he would be ashamed of her daughter. Quinn now knew that her mother's life had not been perfect. she had been thrust into a whorl doff lies, deceit, and trying to live up to perfect images, but it still seemed somewhat charmed to Quinn.
"Mom, do you think God is going to forgive me?" Quinn had been surprised herself that she had asked the question. She could usually control herself but this had been a rare time when she had spoke something that had popped into her head.
Ms. Fabray raised an eyebrow. "Because of Beth?"
Quinn shrugged. "Because of Beth… because of the summer… because of the things I did in the summer that I might do in the future. Will he not love me because I don't follow that one rule?"
Ms. Fabray didn't want to give her daughter the go ahead on having pre marital sex, but she also didn't want her daughter feeling ashamed. "I've never met him dear so I don't know anymore than you do. I would simply try to be a good person though. And he'll love you no matter what. You can make all the mistakes in the world, but if you repent then God will forgive you."
Quinn sighed and laid back down onto her comfy pillow. Her mother's answer hadn't clarified much for her but she couldn't expect her mother to know the inner workings of the mind of God. She felt deep down i her heart that God would forgive her. It wasn't even that serious of a sin, and everyone was doing it. Quinn knew that didn't make it right, but it made her feel better. Her religion always made her question herself and she didn't like it. Quinn closed her eyes and whispered, "Thanks for the advice mom, but I'm tired."
Ms. Fabray got the message. She leaned down to kiss Quinn on the forehead and she then walked out of the room, leaving her daughter to her dreams.
The next day at school Quinn tried to avoid Puck without making it obvious to him. She just needed some time to think about what her mother had told her and it would be far simpler if she could do it alone. However the day after Puck came up to her.
"Avoiding me?" He asked. He tried to play it off as a joke but it came out more serious than he had intended it to.
Quinn shook her head and politely smiled at the boy. "No.. I've just been thinking to myself a lot lately."
Puck and Quinn continued to walk to her class as he asked her what she had been thinking about. Quinn thought on her toes and quickly came up with a suitable lie. There was no use in telling Puck the truth if she ended up not agreeing with it. "Mike's coming home tomorrow," She reminded Puck, "He sent me an e-mail telling me. It's getting closer and closer to break up day and I'm trying to figure out how to tell him without him getting hurt."
Puck looked relieved. "Good, I thought you were mad at me for something."
Quinn told him that wasn't the case. "I might have to break up with Mike earlier," She added, "I'm tired of leading him on."
Puck smiled at the comment, thinking that it only quickened up the time he had to wait to be with Quinn so he was all for it. "Whatever you think is best babe," He replied, "How much earlier are you thinking?"
Quinn shrugged her shoulders. "Maybe the second day he's back. I can't do it as soon as he comes back. That'd be awful."
Puck told her that he thought it was a good idea. Quinn wondered if he would be so supportive to her if he knew that she was still deciding on whether or not she should stay single for a while. She wanted to tell Puck and hear his opinion on the matter but she knew she shouldn't until she had made her mind up on what to do. Plus, Puck would probably be mad and in a huff, quickly followed by asking if they could still hook up when she was single. No, she needed to figure this out for herself. Still, being beside Puck made it difficult. He was easily the hottest guy in the entire school and when she was around him Quinn's legs turned to jelly. She couldn't be the ultra cool, couldn't care less cheerleader around him. The butterflies in her stomach wouldn't allow it.
They arrived at Quinn's class and Puck waved to her goodbye as he made his way off to the opposite side of the school. Quinn sat in math class trying to figure out quadratic equations, but finding herself preoccupied with too many thoughts. To be with Puck or to be alone? It was annoying Quinn to no end so she decided to try and focus on math. If she ever wanted to get out of Lima she needed good grades, and that meant that she had to learn how to ace quadratic equations. No thoughts of Puck or Mike or being single. They weren't going to be helping her get into a good college so she had to put all thoughts of that away and only thoughts of doing well in math could be at the forefront of her mind.
Matt and Rachel were the other members from Glee Club that were in her math class. Quinn, after spending half an hour doing her schoolwork and actually starting to get the lesson she lifted up her head and saw Matt staring at her intently. Quinn sighed. She knew that he had seen Puck walk her to class and his brain must have been swimming with ideas on why the two had become so close lately. The lie Quinn had previously told him was not lining up. Quinn had to think of something to tell Matt so that he wouldn't run and tell Mike that Puck and her had been hooking up when he was in China. That would devastate Mike and it wasn't even true! Quinn hadn't wanted to think about it but it was clear that she had to do something. After a moment she figured out a plan that had a slight chance of working.
it required Quinn taking out her cell phone and texting Rachel however. She sent her a message saying: Come over here but don't make it obvious that I asked you to. She pressed the send button on her phone and looked at Rachel. She saw the girl secretly look at her phone, read the message, and put it back in her schoolbag. Rachel then stood up and walked over to Quinn with her math textbook in hand so she could pretend to ask Quinn for some help.
"Hi Quinn," The annoyance greeted, "You look nice today. Your ponytail is much higher than usual."
Quinn wanted to puke. Rachel's fake nice act grossed her out terribly. She motioned for Rachel to lean in closer and when the girl did as such she whispered, "Do me this favour and you won't owe me anymore. You can't ask any questions though, or tell anyone I told you to do this. Tell Matt that you forced Puck and I into practicing vocal techniques for Glee Club together. Make it casual though so he doesn't think I told you to say it."
Rachel contemplated what Quinn had asked of her and finally nodded her head. "Fine, I'll do it. And then you'll keep my secret as well, right?"
Quinn nodded her head and Rachel seemed relieved. The girl went back to her seat and Quinn felt more comfortable. Matt wouldn't suspect there was anything up with her and puck other than Glee and she could break up with Mike without having him think that Puck had anything to do with it. The plan couldn't fail.
After school there was a rehearsal for Glee Club. They had previously won Sectional's before Christmas Break but Quinn had to admit that she hadn't been as excited about it as she thought she would. She was starting to agree with Mercedes and hated how she never seemed to get a solo. Finn and Rachel got to sing everything! Quinn was lucky to have a line or two in a song on rare occasions.
Quinn was one of the first people in the rehearsal room. Leizel and Sam were in the corner talking about one matter or another while Kurt tried to teach Brittany how to tie her shoelaces, to no avail. Quinn sat in one of the empty seats by the front. She waited for the rest of the members to come in and as she did she received a text message. She saw that it was from Rachel and instantly knew that it had to do with the Matt predicament. Quinn read: I told Matt. He bought it and said that it explained a lot :) Quinn was thankful that Matt was no longer suspicious and had to admit that Rachel had been a big help, even if she had to blackmail the girl in order for her to do it.
More of the kids started trailing into the room. Puck walked in and took the seat next to Quinn. She was happy, but worried that maybe everyone was starting to suspect that they were spending too much time together. However she couldn't just not talk to the boy and have him be mad at her so she smiled sweetly at him and said, "Hey."
"I don't have my car today," Puck explained, "Mind giving me a drive home?"
Quinn shook her head. "I don't mind. What happened to your truck?"
"My mom's car is in the shop so she took my truck to get to work."
Quinn nodded and told him that she could drive him home. However, in her mind she knew that she would have to find a way to distract Matt at the end of rehearsal. He wouldn't believe what Rachel had told him if he saw Puck getting into Quinn's car. She quickly took out her cell phone and texted Rachel, who was in the room but huddled in the corner giggling with Finn. Quinn wanted to gag at their interactions but she had to contain herself while she still needed Rachel's help. Distract Matt at the end of Glee Club for five minutes. Then our deal is officially over. Promise. Quinn saw Rachel detach herself from Finn to take out her phone which was buzzing and look at the message. She locked eyes with Quinn and gave her a wink, signalling to her that she was down with the plan.
Quinn was now able to focus solely on Puck. They still had time to kill as Mercedes had told them that she had seen Mr. Schue flirting with Ms. Pillsbury. That always seemed to take his mind off of Glee Club. It was nauseating how into each other the teachers were but couldn't admit their feelings to one another. Anyways, Quinn turned to Puck and asked him, "What did you do today?"
Puck shrugged his shoulders. "Skipped class for a bit to egg Carmel High with Finn and some of the other guys. Then there was lunch. The burritos in the cafeteria suck by the way. i actually went to english class and read the book we're supposed to be reading."
Quinn's face brightened up. It pleased her to know that Puck was actually taking something school related seriously. Sure, she loved him for his egghead self, but she wouldn't mind if he pulled his socks up and got more involved with his schoolwork. "What book is it?"
"The Good… no, The Great Gatsby," Puck answered, "The Daisy chick reminds me of you."
Quinn frowned. "She's a gold digger Puck! And a cheat! All she cares about is appearances… and she reminds you of me?"
Puck shook his head. "Well yeah but not because of that. She's blonde and everyone went on like she was the hottest shit on earth. That's why."
Quinn grinned. Though he hadn't put it in the most eloquent of terms, Puck had actually managed to be sweet. it was becoming a reoccurring theme throughout the past weeks. It was the type of thing that urged Quinn to be with Puck after she broke up with Mike.
"Thank you," She whispered, "But don't call me hot."
"Why not?" Puck asked, wondering why a girl who thrived on compliments would ever refuse one.
Quinn smirked. "You're always a jerk to the hot girls you date."
Puck gave her a smirk right back. "Haven't you ever heard of exceptions?"
Quinn nodded. "Thinking of making me one?"
"You already are one. Think I'd ever wait around for two freaking weeks not even kissing girls for girl but you?"
Quinn beamed and looked down at her feet. She could feel her cheeks blushing and didn't want Puck to see the effect that he had on her. However, the fact that she's not looking at him or that she doesn't have a snarky retort doesn't go unnoticed by the boy. He was pleased that by showing off his softer side he seemed to have won Quinn over.
Mr. Schuester arrived just before Puck could say anything else and got them right to work on practicing the choreography for the big group number they were preparing for Regionals. He seemed worried however that they didn't have their best male, or possible even best overall dancer with them and hadn't for two weeks. He was afraid that it would offset the balance between the choreography.
"Do you know when he's coming back Quinn?"
Quinn knew that the teacher didn't mean anything mean or rude by his question. He had simply asked her something that she knew the answer to. Still, it sent a sharp pain in Quinn's stomach. Everyone had gotten used to the idea of Mike and Quinn. They expected them to stay together for a long time. Quinn didn't want the whole club to be awkward when the break up occurred. Furthermore, Quinn knew that Puck had become jealous by the comment. Even though Quinn had constantly expressed her want to be with him and that she liked him, she knew that it still hurt Puck to know that Quinn still wasn't his. She still belonged to someone else. It was like last year all over agin except Finn had been replaced with Mike.
"Tomorrow," Quinn muttered, "So he'll be back to school on Monday."
Quinn didn't mention by that time they would no longer be a couple. She didn't mention how on Sunday she would be throwing all they had away and that the club would probably suffer for it.
Mr. Schue nodded and went back to directing everyone with the dance moves. It lasted for another half an hour before it was time for everyone to go home. Quinn went to retrieve her schoolbag and told Puck that they had to hurry up if he wanted a drive. She saw Rachel wink at her and then walk over to Matt where she unleashed a whole bunch of names Quinn could only assume were Broadway legends at the poor boy. Quinn quickly walked out of the choir room and had Puck follow. They made it to her car and out of the parking lot before Matt could even get out of Rachel's successful ruse.
As they drove home the pair poked fun of Finn's dance moves. Though the boy had comea long way from the beginning of the club when he couldn't dance and sing at the same time, Finn still needed a lot of work.
"Let's not make fun," Quinn said after a particularly mean comment from Puck, "He tries hard… even if that shows on his face constantly."
Puck laughs. "Whatever. Our star dancer is coming back tomorrow… you should be excited."
Quinn sighed and wanted to yell out in frustration. It was like Puck wasn't going to believe that she was going to break up with the boy unless she started having sex with him right there in the car. "Be quiet. You know I'm not looking forward to dumping him."
Puck shrugged his shoulders. "Breaking up with people is easy."
Quinn laughed out loud. "And you would know how exactly? I think you actually have to be in a relationship with the person to break up with them. Leaving a girl's bed in the middle of the night while she's asleep doesn't count."
Puck smirked back at Quinn and rested his head back. "What are you doing tomorrow?"
Quinn rolled her eyes. She wasn't sure if Puck was being a jerk or if he had simply not thought that she would be hanging out with Mike the day she got back. She didn't want to jump to any conclusions though so she gave him the benefit of the doubt.
"Hanging out with Mike."
Puck nodded, seeming disappointed but not exactly mad. "Thought you were breaking up with him Sunday? You're going to be all over him tomorrow then tear his heart out the next day?"
Quinn was having trouble concentrating on driving when she constantly had to define herself or explain herself. However, Puck's comment had some merit to it. Quinn didn't want to pretend that all was fine if the next day she was going to end their relationship. It wouldn't seem right at all. "He just wants to see me. He's going to be tired so I'll only be hanging out for a bit, and I am breaking up with him. Get that through your thick skull Puckerman."
Quinn expected a fight to break out but was surprised when instead Puck somehow understood where she was coming from. He muttered a 'sorry' and leaned back further in his chair. Maybe he realized that all of the doubting he was doing of Quinn wasn't going to make him look any better in her eyes.
He turned the topic back around to Super Mario Brothers, a conversation that Quinn had always dreaded having back when she had been living with the boy. Quinn knew that Puck was a video game geek though so she indulged him the pleasure of discussing it with her. Well, only after she had learned how to block his rambles out completely from her mind. After she had accomplished that she didn't seem to have so much of a problem with it anymore. Sure, Quinn could name a million other things she would want to talk about but it was something that Puck liked, and she was trying to be a better listener.
When Quinn slowed down and parked in the driveway of Puck's house he managed to silence his video game talk. He turned in his seat to face Quinn and asked, "Did you want to cow in… hang out for a bit?"
Quinn thought it over. She had never seen Puck nervous to ask her, or anyone for that matter, to do something. He did seem a little uncomfortable to ask her to come inside though, as if he really thought he was the losing man between him and Mike and he was still fighting to win Quinn over. If Quinn were to be truthful with herself she would have to say that she did want to hang out more with Puck. He was fun, and when he wasn't talking about Super Mario Brothers, he did interest her. Still, there was a thought that was bugging Quinn at the back of her mind. She had to address the problem.
"Is your mother home?" Quinn could have answered the question for herself. She saw Puck's truck in the driveway and unless he had come up with a ruse to get her to drive him home, his mother was inside the house that very moment.
Puck seemed to know where she was heading with her question. He also knew she wasn't stupid enough not to notice his truck right in front of them. "You two have to stop hating each other. It's stupid. She's my mom and you're… well you know what you are."
Quinn looked straight ahead, not knowing if she should tell Puck something she had held back from him for so long. She was afraid that he wouldn't care, or that he wouldn't believe her. What she had been holding back had hurt her so terribly and if Puck didn't care about it at all then it would hurt her more than it had originally. Quinn finally decided to tell him, but she didn't dare look at him as she said it. "She called me a whore."
Puck was silent for a second. He had to think about what Quinn was saying. He had been around both girls as his mother had made snide comments to Quinn, but they had never been that straightforward or mean. Most of them had simply come out of her being disappointed in her son. He had never heard his mother say things so hateful about Quinn herself. He had heard his mother say that Quinn had ruined her son's life, or that Jewish girls never make mistakes so big, things of that nature, but nothing so rude as calling her a whore. Puck stumbled on his words at first and had to clear his throat. "Wh- wh - what did she say?"
Quinn's eyes looked up tot he ceiling of the car, a trick to try and send her tears back down from where they had came from. "Don't make me say it again. I was just sitting at the kitchen table eating breakfast. You were in the shower. She didn't like that my dress was showing off my baby bump even though I told her that it was impossible for me to cover it up by that point. Then she told me that if I wasn't a whore I wouldn't have had to worry about those types of things."
Puck could see a tear fall from Quinn's eyes. He had never known that his mother had said such a thing. Even though she was his mother he knew he was on Quinn's side without a doubt in his mind. He was uncomfortable however as he didn't deal well with crying chicks. Instead of comforting Quinn with a hug he simply told her, "She was mad at me. I screwed up but I'm her kid so she just blamed you. She doesn't think anything like that about you."
Quinn sniffled and rolled her eyes. "Yeah because it was only a one time thing right?"
Puck slumped back into the seat of the car. "No, but I know that it was me she was pissed at. You were just an easier target for her. I… I could talk to her if you want?"
Quinn shook her head and finally turned to look at Puck. "No, don't. It's over with. She said what she said and that's it. She's your mom so I don't want you two getting in a fight. I just never want to be around her again."
Puck nodded his head, understanding where Quinn was coming from. He thanked her for the ride, told him to call her if she wanted to, and got out of the car and walked into his house. Quinn wiped her tears away with a tissue and drive off to her house. She didn't know if telling Puck what his mother had told her would make things awkward between them or somehow stronger with having no secrets.
Later that night while Quinn was hanging out with Mercedes and Kurt for a Mean Girls and Heathers movie session she received a text from Puck. It read: You're not a whore Though Quinn never had any worries about being one, and she knew that Mrs. Puckerman was just a bitter, stubborn woman she knew why Puck was saying what he had. He wanted to make sure that Quinn knew that he didn't agree with his mother, and though he hadn't put it eloquently Quinn still thought it sweet.
On Saturday Quinn went over to Mike's house in the late afternoon. He was absolutely thrilled to see her and Quinn tried to play it off like she was happy to see him as well, but that she wasn't over the moon. She didn't want to act like they were a perfect couple and then shock him the next day. Mike told her all about China, and Quinn filled him in on what was happening in Glee and around the school. She tried to be brief in her comments and not seem so animated while talking. Mike asked her if she wanted to go out for dinner but Quinn knew she couldn't do that at all if she was to go through with her plan. Thus Quinn told Mike that she had a big project and went home, leaving him with only a friendly kiss on the cheek. Quinn was positive that Mike had to think that something was up with her.
Sunday came faster than Quinn wanted it to. She knew what she had to do but she had no desire to actually do it. Mike was such a sweet guy and she by no means wanted to hurt him. She prayed to God that he would take the news as good as one could possibly take it and that she would be able to deliver it as sweetly as she could. At twelve o' clock Quinn called Mike and asked him if she could go over to his house to talk for a bit. Mike agreed quickly and Quinn grabbed her purse and drove off to the Chang household.
On the ride over to Mike's house Quinn kept repeating to herself: You can do this. You're strong. You can do this. It didn't make her anymore convinced, but it did help with her nerves and the butterflies that had started living in her stomach.
When she reached her destination, Quinn parked on the end of the street and walked up the door. She rang the doorbell and awaited an answer. Mike came to the door, opened it, and invited his girlfriend inside, not suspecting anything that was to come. That made Quinn feel even worse. She had wanted him to expect the break up, even a little bit. At least then he would have prepared himself for it a little bit.
Mike led Quinn upstairs to his room and sat down on his bed. Quinn sat on his desk chair after rolling it over closer to the bed. She crossed her arms around her chest after not knowing what to do them and decided that she had to rip the bandage off. "I have to tell you something."
Mike still didn't get the hint. He smiled at the blonde cheerleader who he would describe as 'perfect' and asked, "What's up?"
"Mike," She said in a more serious tone, "You are such a nice guy… but-"
There. He got the hint. As soon as he heard the 'but' in Quinn's statement Mike knew where the conversation was going. He interrupted Quinn before she could finish what she wanted to say. He shook his head and said, "No. Don't do this Quinn."
Quinn felt the tears coming but she tried her damnedest to hold them back. She had to go through with this. Tears would make her weak and stop the whole thing. Quinn went on. "Mike, please, let me finish. You are a really nice guy but I don't think that this what either of us want, or what either of us need. I like you a lot, but sometimes that isn't enough."
Mike stared at Quinn as if he was analyzing her. Quinn felt awkward but Mike kept staring at her. She sighed and cried, "Say something!"
"It's him. Isn't it," Mike asked, "You're leaving me for fucking Puckerman."
Quinn's mouth hung open slightly, not knowing how Mike could have guessed. She tried to explain her situation. She needed Mike to understand because she didn't want to lose him as a friend. "Mike, honestly don't you think that through this we've always just been friends?"
Mike shook his head instantly and looked angered at Quinn's comment. His voice was harsh as well. "No," He told her with a fury in his voice that Quinn had never though he could manage, "We weren't just friends ever and you know that's crap. Friends don't date for four months. Friends don't do the things that we did Quinn. I know you liked me. Stop being scared and making this out like it was nothing. It was fucking something and you know it." He punched his bed a couple of times to get the frustration out.
Quinn felt three tears fall out of her eyes. She wiped them away quickly. "I never wanted to hurt you… and I didn't plan this. I liked you so much, and I have so much fun with you, but things change. I still want to be friends. It's cliche as hell but it isn't you. In this case it's me that changed."
Mike couldn't look the blonde in the eyes anymore. Quinn was hurt by that. It was as if he was disgusted to look at her. Quinn sat on the chair and waited for him to say something. It didn't take long. "I thought I was starting to fall in love you."
Quinn wanted to burst into tears because she knew that if Puck didn't exist that she would have fallen in love with Mike as well. She didn't want to bruise his ego though so she refrained from telling him that. "Mike you are the greatest guy ever-"
He interrupted her again. "Then what's the problem? If i'm so great then why does this have to be over?"
Quinn's bottom lip quivered as she searched for the words to say. She didn't want to say the real reason. She thought it would hurt him too much. However, Mike finished his question for her. "Puck, right? That's why this is ending?"
For once Quinn decided to be brave and tell Mike the truth. "Yes," She confirmed, "I think I'm in love with him again. It was after we visited Beth. Old feelings came back."
Mike looked equally sad and mad as clenched the sheets on his bed with his fist. "You cheated on me?"
Quinn knew that she couldn't tell mike the truth about the kiss she had shared with Puck no matter what. He didn't need to know that. It would only cause unnecessary hurt. "No. Just by talking again I realized that I want to give him another chance."
Mike looked at Quinn in the eye after avoiding her glance for the last few minutes. Quinn nervously rolled to and fro on the chair. "He's going to be a jerk to you. He always is. You can't change him Quinn."
Quinn didn't want to hear what Mike was telling her. She may have had her doubts about Puck but she didn't need anyone else making her feel like she was making the wrong choice. "i don't think that's true, but if it is," Quinn explained, "Then I made a big mistake and I'll have to live with that for a long time."
Mike rubbed his temple with his fingers as if he was contemplating something. After a moment he decided to let his frustrations out. "You're a tennis ball Quinn. Always bouncing from one guy to the next, One day you're going to end up alone and you're not going to know what to do with yourself. Now get out."
Quinn wanted to stay and talk things out but was aware that it wasn't a good idea to argue with Mike after what she had done to him. She silently got up and walked out of his house. Once she was in her car she started crying. Breaking up with Mike had been hard, but she had never expected him to react the way he had. She thought that he was an easygoing guy that still would have wanted to be friends. Now he was gone forever and Quinn was going to miss him so much. He had become one of her closest friends. It was all her fault.
And Mike was added to the list of people who felt that she had relationship issues. Quinn looked in her rearview mirror at her reflection and asked herself, "Why can't I be single?" The thought scared her, and that's when Quinn realized that she had a problem. Mike, Mercedes, and her mom were right. She was never going to be able to be in a relationship successfully until she was fine with being by herself. But that meant no Puck. That meant a chance of him moving on and never wanting her back. She didn't know if she could do it. However, that just fuelled her conclusion that she needed to be single. She needed to be okay with being by herself. She had to do this for herself, no matter how much it was going to hurt.
Quinn quickly called Puck up and told him to meet up with her at a local coffee shop. She stressed that she needed to talk to him about something important. After hanging up Quinn took a deep breath, prepared herself for what she was about to do, and started off in the direction of the coffee shop.
Once she got there Quinn saw that Puck was already sitting at a table with two drinks. One was obviously for her. She walked over to this table and sat down. She smiled at him meekly and said, "Thank you for the coffee."
Puck waved her thanks off and raised his eyebrows suggestively. "You finally single?"
Quinn nodded, took another deep breath and told him, "Yes… and that's how it's going to be for a while."
Puck's forehead scrunched in confusion. Quinn took a sip of coffee casually. Puck raised an eyebrow at Quinn, this time not suggestively but asking her to explain. "What are you talking about?"
"I know I said that we could be together," Quinn told Puck making sure that her voice was confident but sympathetic, "And I really did want that. But everyone keeps stressing to me the fact that I'm always in a relationship. I always need to be with someone. That's not healthy. I need to learn to be happy single. Otherwise I'm going to kill myself one day when I find myself alone and not knowing what to do with myself. I still want to be with you… but it can't be for a while."
"So like in two weeks?" Puck asked, hoping that Quinn wasn't actually being serious with her whole female empowerment speech.
Unfortunately for him Quinn shook her head. "i don't know how long but it'll be longer than two weeks. A lot longer. I'm not asking you to wait for me. You can date whoever you want. I need to do this for myself. Once I know I'm ready I'd love to be with you… if you still want me. If you don't, well at least I'll be used to being single."
Puck didn't know exactly what to say to Quinn. he took a sip of his coffee and shook his head rapidly in case this had all been a dream. He was supposed to be with the girl. He wasn't supposed to wait even longer to have her. Puck soon realized that it was not a dream. "You're serious about this?" He asked.
Quinn nodded and folded her hands on the table. "I need to do it. I know you don't understand it… but please respect it."
Puck had heard those words before and he had felt just as lousy after them as he did now. He rubbed his eye with his hand. "I might not want to be your boyfriend in a few months you know? I might want to be a bachelor for life."
Quinn shrugged her shoulders. "That's your call. I love you Puck, and I will once I'm ready to date again. I'm not doing this because I don't love you. When I'm ready to be with someone I'll see if you want to be with me. If you don't then I'll be hurt but I'll understand."
Puck still didn't get why Quinn was becoming such a femi nazi all of the sudden but he knew how stubborn the girl was and that she wasn't going to change his mind. At least she had said that she loved him. That made him feel better, and also she said he could date whoever he wanted. She wasn't expecting him to sit around with blue balls like she had for the past couple of weeks which was actually really cool of her. Still, he was going to ask one last time. "And you're absolutely sure of this?"
Quinn nodded. "One hundred percent positive. But I still want to be friends when I'm figuring things out. Can you do that?"
Puck shrugged. "Maybe. Probably. You're kind of a hard girl to quit cold turkey."
Quinn laughed and the two continued to sit at the table and talk as friends. Of course there were still feelings there, but for the moment Quinn and Puck were going to be just friends. Quinn knew that what she was doing was a big disappointment for Puck so she allowed him to talk about video games for a full fifteen minutes straight without interrupting him. She also let him dip his hands a little lower than he should have when they hugged goodbye, but that was only because it was the closest he was going to get anything like that for months.
The blonde Cheerio was now on her way to becoming an independent woman. She knew it sounded lame and cheesy but it was what she needed to do. Plus, what kind of head bitch in charge always needs a man by her side?
Author's Note: (Please Read! This one is majorly important!)
Okay so don't worry, even though last chapter I said this would be the end of the story it isn't! I had to make a choice on whether or not to completely fast forward the two weeks of Mike being in China and completely fast forwarding past the months where Quinn is going to be on her own discovering how to be happy single and I realized I couldn't do it. I needed to put more detail in the situations so I decided to make this story another chapter long. So next chapter will be the last chapter. This way there's a lot more story and more character development. You also see things progress more whereas in my previous plan I was skipping past important parts.
Anyways, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! I've gotten it out faster than I have the previous couple of chapters and it's longer than those ones so yay! I will again try to be faster with writing the next chapter! Hopefully I can keep it going!
Also, thank you to everyone who is reviewing, or setting this story or myself to their favourites or alerts! You all rock and totally make my day! Every time I get an e-mail from fanfiction saying that someone has reviewed the story I have a big smile on my face!
Now, last chapter I asked what you thought of a Jesse/Quinn story and the response was an overwhelming no. Haha, I'm going to take it as a compliment that you all just love my Puck/Quinn stories but it has hit me with an interesting dilemma. Quinn/Puck are my favourite pairing but I do want to write something new and I also really like Jesse/Quinn together. So do I stick with these lovely fans that read my stories, review them, put them to alerts, etc. or do I do I write what I really want to?
I've come to a solution that I think will satisfy people.
I am going to move ahead an do the Quinn/Jesse story but I know that basically all of my readers aren't going to read that. Therefore I will also be writing another Puck/Quinn story but it's going to have some fan involvement! Is there a story brewing in your mind about Puck/Quinn that you'd love someone to write about? Even a simple idea floating around your mind? If so leave your idea in a review! You can make your idea as detailed or as simple as you would like. It can also be a story that follows the show or it could be an AU story much like this one is with the Mike/Quinn pairing.
I will then use a random generator website to decide which idea I will write about! Therefore everyone has a fair chance of their idea being the selected one! I think it's a fair deal. I still get to write my Jesse/Quinn story but I don't disappoint you lovely readers either and I give you the chance to have your dream story written! I will announce which idea is the winner in next chapter's author's note so make sure to get your idea in on time (I would say within the next 5 days to be safe!).
I'm actually really excited about that sort of 'contest' and I can't wait to read your ideas!
Now, have you guys also heard the rumour that 'Every Rose Has Its Thorn' is going to be sung on this season of Glee? I've heard some rumblings about that and I'm so excited about that! I really hope that Puck sings it about Quinn, much like I wrote it in this story! It really is such a perfect song for them, but I could also see Artie singing it about Tina moving on with Mike as it seems is what is happening based on the new promos.
Finally, if you have the time I would greatly appreciate if you could review this chapter :) Writers take a lot of time and great effort to write their stories and reviews rally make it all worth while! It can be a word, a sentence, a paragraph, or an essay! Any comments or suggestions are welcome and they make my day! :)
Don't forget to leave your ideas for your dream Quinn/Puck story!
And again I hope you enjoyed this chapter!
Until next time,
Happy Reading! :)