Hey guys! I hope you liked the prologue, and I hope you like this first chapter too. Please tell me if anything is inaccurate to the show or if something didn't make sense, I will be happy to change and correct it. Please review, I'd love to see what you think! Thanks for reading! :D
Quinn felt as if elephants were parading around in circles in her stomach. She kept smoothing her skirt tentatively, her eyes constantly flickering towards the door to the choir room and back. Santana, Artie, Brittany, and Mike, the audience to the tape of Rachel's confession, sat quietly and patiently. Soon, the bell would ring, and the remainder of the glee club would join them in the room. That included Rachel Barbara Berry, resident gold star and mini Streisand.
Quinn didn't want to have to see her. Now that the truth was somewhat out, Quinn didn't want to have to look Rachel in her deep brown eyes and confess her own feelings. She didn't know how she felt honestly, even with all of the late nights sitting awake in her bed, pondering her feelings for Rachel. All she knew was that whenever she spoke to Rachel, she couldn't help noticing the beauty in her well defined face and the sweetness in her smile. Whenever she watched Rachel perform, she felt her cheeks flushing, her heart beating at an unhealthy rate, her eyes tracing the curves of her body and the way she swayed as she sang. She fascinated Quinn. She was an enchanting creature, and Quinn couldn't say how she felt for her. It was unexplainable.
The last year had been a whirlwind. Quinn had a daughter, was kicked off the Cheerios, and still managed to survive it all. Now she was ready to make a fresh start with new friends and new enemies. She checked the clock, and her stomach flipped when the realization hit her. Auditions for the Cheerios were in two hours, and Quinn had completely forgot.
The bell rang abruptly in the middle of Quinn's panic attack, just as a petite figure bustled into the room arm and arm with a giant. Rachel was wearing her usual red sweater with its carousel horse and her checkered skirt, her shoes glistening in the fluorescent lights. Her straight hair was pulled back neatly by a bright red, matching headband. Her arm was twisted around the crook of Finn Hudson's elbow, as she talked animatedly to his face. As usual, he was wearing a plain polo shirt and jeans, his coffee colored hair sticking up in odd shapes. They were a poised couple, prim, proper, and picture perfect.
It's funny how things can change when someone knows the truth.
Nobody paid any attention as Kurt Hummel and Mercedes Jones hurried into the room babbling about the latest Lady Gaga music video and what should have been altered. Nobody cast a glance at Tina or Puck as they quietly snuck in and made their way to individual seats at the back of the room. Everyone silently watched Rachel and Finn as they crossed the room and plopped down in their usual seats in front and in center. Santana smirked and rolled her eyes, and turned to speak to Brittany.
Rachel sat, smoothed her hair, and sat up very straight. Her attention was obviously focused towards the front of the room, where Mr. Schuester had just entered. Quinn tried to pry her eyes off of her, since glee club was starting, but she found that she couldn't. "Come on Q, focus." She thought to herself, fiddling with the zippers on her bag, "Regionals are coming up, and the club needs you. Rachel needs you."
While Quinn tried desperately to clear her head of all Rachel Berry thoughts and Mr. Schuester blabbered on about set list suggestions for Regionals, Rachel kept glancing back at Santana. Quinn could see the flip of her mahogany hair out of the corner of her eye, and she resisted the urge to watch. Finally, she titled her head subtly to the side, and watched as Rachel turned back to face Santana. As Mr. Schuester printed out sheet music, Rachel and Santana were sitting very close together, heads bent, long hair making a curtain to protect their quickly moving lips.
Quinn felt a pang of jealously. Taking a deep breath, she faced the front of the room, and promptly ignored them for the rest of the class.
The bell rang.
The glee club scurried from their positions; some lying down in chairs, Brittany and Santana sitting a little too close together, Tina sprawled out on a few chairs with her head on Mike's lap. Quinn swept up her bag and made her way slowly out of the room, keeping her eyes on Rachel the whole time. She was speaking very quickly to Finn, her winning smile shining brightly. She pulled herself up on her tiptoes and kissed his cheek gently, beaming at him as she lowered herself back down. Quinn forcefully turned on her heel and bustled out of the room.
"Wait, Quinn!"
Santana and Brittany, pinkies locked, were directly behind her. Santana held out the small black tape recorder in her palm, nodding towards Quinn, "Here, I thought you might want to keep it."
Quinn fought the urge to say, "Why would I want to keep it?" because she did want to keep it and she knew she would replay it to herself in the privacy of her own room because she still didn't believe her ears. Rachel had admitted that she was in love with Quinn, and that seemed crazy. Quinn had treated Rachel like a piece of dirt for her first full year at McKinley, and now she loved Quinn? The pieces didn't fit together. Maybe Quinn would never fully understand what had happened but she was clutching the proof in her hand now, and she had to accept it.
She had to accept what was true.
An idea sparked in Quinn's head as she strolled down the crowded, always busy hallways of McKinley High School. She tried to clear the idea out of her head. It was crazy, absolutely crazy, and Quinn didn't want to attempt anything out of the ordinary in case she regretted it later. But then again, she could hear Rachel's dramatic, bubbly laugh from down the hall, and her heart automatically fluttered. The loud sign marking that the girl's bathroom was on her left suddenly came into view, and Quinn took a sharp, unexpected turn.
"I can't believe I'm doing this." Quinn hissed to herself as she slammed the bathroom door behind her. She checked beneath each of the stalls, and was delighted to find that they all were empty. She was alone.
Setting the small tape recorder up against the giant mirror, Quinn took a step back. She admired her reflection. The soft, short blond hair, the sparkling blue eyes, the broad shoulders, she was the same girl she had always been. She reached her hand out and traced the familiar reflection. An image of Rachel, her head thrown back, her sunny laugh echoing down the halls, suddenly flew into her head. Quinn's eyes darkened, her cheeks reddened, and she turned from the mirror with a start. She needed to do this.
If Rachel had the confidence, Quinn Fabray could too. She had given birth to a healthy child after all, and if that was possible, she could do anything. Decidedly, Quinn slammed her hand on the record button, and leaned forward toward the mirror, staring deep into her own, familiar eyes.
"I'm Quinn Fabray, and I am in love with Rachel Berry."