Hello again! So I know that my chapters aren't as long as some others, but I'm working on it OK? :) Also, in the prologue I attempted to give credit to the person who inspired my story with their gifs on tumblr. The link didn't work, so I'm just going to advise you all to visit notonthelist on tumblr OK? They have the gifs that inspired this. Thanks again for all your kind reviews! Enjoy!
"Hello again sweater elf, fancy meeting you here."
Rachel spun on her heel, looking up from the sheet music she had been sorting on top of the glossy piano in the choir room. The malicious voice belonged to Santana of course, school's resident mean girl and closet lesbian, even though it was obvious.
"Hello Santana." She replied coolly, raising her eyebrows and turning back to her work. A real star wouldn't let someone as uneducated and amateur as Santana to bother them. No matter how awful her insults were, Rachel wouldn't tolerate her.
"Sorting sheet music." Santana snickered and pushed the neat stack off of the piano, "Why don't you just let Mr. Schue do it, that's his job." Rachel watched with wide eyes as the pieces of paper swung and swayed down to a resting position on the floor, all of her hard work flowing down the drain.
"SANTANA!" A sweet voice gasped from behind her. Brittany scampered from the hallway into the choir room, seizing the papers and hurriedly stacking them up again, "Don't you know that pushing papers off of pianos is bad luck?"
Rachel took the attempt of a stack from Brittany, which was more of a pile. As Brittany explained to a patient Santana the reasons why papers and pianos were such an unlucky pair, Rachel walked to the back of the room and picked up her bags. She tried to sneak out the door without being noticed, but Santana wasn't finished with harassing her yet.
"Oh, we never said you could leave." Santana snapped her fingers at Brittany who produced a small black tape recorder from the pocket in her coat, "We have to ask you a little question."
In situations such as this one, where someone demands an answer, the key is confidence, and lots of it. Rachel treated Britt and Santana as if they were paparazzi, wanting desperately to know the ins and outs of her glamorous life. Pushing her hair back and setting her bag back on a chair, Rachel beamed at the Cheerios and happily hurried up to them.
"Of course, how can I help you?"
Santana took the tape recorder from Brittany forcefully and held it between two fingers in front of Rachel's face as if she couldn't see objects from more than a foot away. Rachel backed up slightly and tried again, "What kind of questions do you want to ask me? Is this an interview?"
Santana looked at Rachel as if she had sprouted snakes for hair, "An interview? For what? You better not be talking about the McKinley High Blabber because that 'newspaper' is complete bullshit and we all know it."
"I had an article written about me in there once." Brittany murmured quietly from behind Santana, "It was about my friend Frank. We had to dissect him and his family in Science, but I frognapped him and hid him in a bottom locker where I thought he'd be safe. I forgot that frognapping is a crime. According to the Blabber, the frognapper is still on the loose and nobody knows who committed such a crime."
Santana patted Brittany awkwardly on the back, "I'm sorry about Frank Britt, but remember, you and I are hear for another reason." Her voice turned from sweet to sour in a matter of seconds as she stepped towards Rachel, "We have questions and we need answers."
"Ask away." Rachel replied, sitting herself down and smoothing her skirt, "I can handle whatever you throw at me."
"We'll see about that." Santana faked a smile, her eyes glittering, "So I'll make this short and sweet…do you like Quinn Fabray?"
Rachel nodded and answered promptly, "Well of course I do! Everyone in glee is my family, and I support everyone in whatever they do and whatever choices they make."
Santana's perfectly manicured eyebrows were raised. "Really Berry, could you be so oblivious? We didn't mean it like that! Are you into Quinn? Do you have a freaking crush on her, as kids say?"
Rachel was completely taken aback by the question. The shock must have shown on her face, because Santana was getting frustrated. "Look, we don't have all day." She shoved the tape recorder in Rachel's face, "Me and Britts be going to Breadstix to grab lunch and crap, and lunch ends in what, 10 fucking minutes? Answer yes or no, it's not that hard."
Yes its hard, Rachel thought to herself, a simple yes or a no doesn't answer that question. Did she like Quinn Fabray?
The answer was that she liked the way Quinn smiled, the way it light up her face and made her eyes twinkle. She liked the way Quinn held herself when she walked, her head held high as if she could conquer anything in the world. It was the way she stood when she sang, her hands pulled together in front of her, a small smile playing her lips, her golden voice sending chills down Rachel's spine. It was the way she threw her head back when she laughed her contagious laugh. It was her long legs, her hips, and her petite but strong frame. The way she opened her locker and peered inside, as if she was expecting a surprise. It was the way she smiled softly at Brittany whenever she uttered something that just didn't make sense, as if she understood her all along and she knew exactly what she was talking about. It was the small things like that, that Rachel especially admired.
Quinn used to be Head of the Cheerios, and Rachel even admired her in those days. That was back when she wore the red and white Cheerios uniform with the perky skirt and the body hugging top. Her hair had always been pulled back into a flawless ponytail. Quinn's hair was the color of sunlight, and it was the most beautiful hair Rachel had ever seen.
Quinn became pregnant, crushing Rachel's heart by the idea of her crush, Finn Hudson, being the baby daddy and by the idea that the perfect, incredible, amazing Quinn Fabray could have possibly gotten herself into this tangled mess. Quinn was everything Rachel wanted, and wanted to be. Watching Quinn's journey and struggle, changing out of that sexy Cheerios uniform and into purple sweaters and soft jeans, had been a privilege for Rachel. It had opened her eyes to the real Quinn Fabray, whose true colors were even more beautiful than how they had been before. Rachel wanted to help her in some way, but helping someone who hates you with a burning passion is not an easy task.
It was senior year. Beth had been born, and yet, Quinn hadn't returned to the Cheerios. The girl who sat quietly in glee club every day, sweetly observing her peers as they belted out songs and fought over the spotlight, was the girl that Rachel liked the most. She was Quinn, just Quinn, and that "Just Quinn" was enough for Rachel.
Every time she walked into a room, Rachel felt the atmosphere change. She wasn't sure about other people, but when Quinn into the room, Rachel's heart always skipped a beat. She felt her face flush at the sight of the beautiful blond, and she was at a lost for words whenever they spoke.
And the way she looked at Puck with warm emotion in her eyes…
"Am I in love with Quinn?" Rachel asked quietly, her voice slightly hoarse. Santana and Brittany shared a look, and Rachel worried that maybe they already had an idea of what that answer may be.
"I-I'm not going to answer that. Not with the recorder right there."
Santana tensed, and Rachel could sense the anger coming. She rolled her eyes and muttered, "Fine", neatly sticking the tape recorder down her bra. She turned back to Rachel, eyes flashing, "Come on, just admit it hobbit!" She barked suddenly, as Brittany watching with terror written all over her face.
"San…" She made a move to pull Santana back, but Santana pushed her arm out of the way and walked right up to Rachel, staring down on her, demanding an answer.
Rachel couldn't believe they would ask such a question. What was this for, and how did they know? She truthfully didn't know what her feelings for Quinn were, but that shouldn't even matter. She was dating Finn Hudson, and Rachel thought he was the perfect boyfriend. He was sweet, goofy, and all around lovable. But sometimes she felt like he was a toy draped over her arm, and trying to think about her feelings made her head ache, so she just accepted him. He liked her a lot and he treated her well, that's all that mattered.
Couldn't Santana just accept that this world that Rachel Berry lived in was more complicated than her own?
Rachel found that there was a lump in her throat, and she managed to croak out, "Santana, what do you want from me?"
"Berry, I know where your loyalties lie." Santana retorted, flipping her sleek ponytail behind her, "If you say that you are in love with Frankenteen, you are a dirty liar. I've seen the way you look at her, and you damn well know what I'm talking about."
Rachel couldn't hold in the tears any longer. They dribbled from her eyes, and she placed a hand over her mouth to prevent herself from sobbing. She needed to be strong, she needed to be brave, she needed to be the star that so brightly shone from within.
"FINE! Fine, I'll admit it…" Rachel's voice rose, shaking as it did.
"I'm in love with Quinn."
There was silence as Santana titled her head slightly, smirking and considering what Rachel had to say. "There you have it." She said with a satisfied grin to Brittany, "That's all we need from you Rachel."
Rachel covered her mouth with both hands, the tears spilling faster and harder down her cheeks and hanging off her chin. She couldn't believe the words she had just uttered. What had she done?
"I told you I have awesome gaydar."
Santana couldn't wipe the satisfied smirk off her face if she tried. Brittany was trailing behind her, her hands behind her back. She watched with wide eyes as Santana reached into her shirt and confidently pulled out the tape recorder, slamming a button down, "We got it Brittany."
"What do you mean?" Brittany titled her head to the side slightly, eyeing Santana suspiciously, "I know you wanted to know if Rachel liked Quinn or not, but why?"
Santana spun around with sudden frustration, but this was Brittany, and she needed to keep her cool. With a deep breath, she composed herself, and began to explain. "Have you seen the way they look at one another? Whenever Rachel sings, Quinn gets the biggest freaking puppy eyes, and she basically explodes with love. Same way with Rachel, she can never take those murky eyes off of her. I know I have awesome gaydar, and I'm going to put it to good use. Besides…" She added, flipping her ponytail and casting a confident grin towards Brittany, "Quinn wanted to know."