Thanks for all the reviews guys. I just want to get a few things of my chest, before I continue.
1. This is a Finchel story. Personally I like Finchel. Some people don't. If you don't like, please don't read it. I don't read Puckleberry stories for this reason Someone asked if the story is going to have the couple "being all sappy?" yes definitely, that's why I labeled it a romance story.
2. I know some people disagree with how Quinn is being written. In my opinion, Quinn is not a bad person but she can come across as one. Of course I wrote her as depressed in the last episode! When she found out she was pregnant in the real episode she was in floods of tears, naturally.
3. Please don't suggest weird things like death, rape etc. It's just not my bag. A little bit of couple angst maybe, but I'm all about the romance.
I know there are lots of totally positive reviews but the ranting ones just leave me confused!
Anyway, it's a Quinn and Rachel chapter... enjoy!
Rachel had seen her, of course. She hadn't let on to Finn that anything was wrong, but she had watched her, out of the corner of her eye. Her hands wouldn't quite join together to form a clap. Her smile wouldn't quite reach her eyes. Her footsteps weren't quite silent as she attempted to sneak out the door.
Quinn looked, for want of a better word….weak. And it was the first time Rachel had ever used that word to describe her. Quinn was never weak. She was academically strong, getting straight A's in all her classes. She was physically strong, standing for hours on top of the pyramid. And she mentally strong, always coming across as so confident, so sure.
A pang of guilt hit Rachel as it came to her. She had done that, she and Finn had made her weak. And she needed to put it right.
She told Finn she was going to grab a sweater and headed out the door. Finding Quinn's door, she knocked loudly.
"Just leave me alone Brittany" Quinn started as she opened the door. "Oh" she mumbled "it's you." Rachel nodded and for a moment there was silence.
"Can I help you with something? You're boyfriends down the hall." Quinn continued, rolling her eyes sarcastically.
"I wanted to talk to you," Rachel tried, "you seem… well I figured you want someone to talk to… or scream at, or just to sit with."
Quinn nodded, softening somewhat, and opened the door.
It was a few minutes before either of them spoke.
"There are 355 fan-fiction stories, about you two you know" she mumbled, as she lightly fingered the corner of her pillow. "I read them sometimes, to torture myself I guess. You know you've been together what like a week and everyone thinks you're so perfect together. There are stories about you getting married, having children, everything."
Rachel nodded, trying desperately not to smile. People thought they were perfect? People thought they'd get married? That was pretty cool. She'd always figured that the public would think she was an ordinary girl (with an extraordinary voice of course) with a guy way above her league. "That's a little odd" she added, suddenly struck by the madness of it all.
"Everything's a little odd now." Quinn added, "You know they've came up with couple names for us all, like even couples that aren't together. Finn and I are Fuinn apparently." She paused "It doesn't sound as good as Finchel" she added sadly.
Rachel nodded "Finchel is a pretty good name. Although, you know it could be worse, you know Tina and Artie are called Tartie?"
Quinn snorted with laughter "that's pretty dorky."
"It's just…" she started up again, serious once more. "It's like I'm living my life and nothing's changed, yet people seem to think that I'm something they can shape; mould. Like if they write a story about me, it's going to come true. If they mix up a bunch of clips and put them together then they can sum me up in two minutes to a catchy soundtrack. Then there's this..."
She tossed an image towards Rachel, who almost gave a double take. It was beautiful.
Quinn was dressed in an expensive white three-quarter length dress, her shinny, sun kissed hair gently curled, tumbled down her left shoulder. She seduced the camera with a slick of lipgloss and eyelashes that seemed to extend to the sky.
This, Rachel thought, was what natural beauty was.
"It's stunning, seriously Quinn, you look beautiful."
Quinn shrugged "It's next month's front cover. It doesn't matter, they're never going to use it, it won't be worth anything by then."
Rachel shrugged "don't put yourself down Quinn, it will sell a ton of copies."
Quinn shook her head, "they won't print it because they'll know by then, they'll know the truth" and this, she gestured towards the print "will just be another half-truth, another version of myself, an inaccurate version."
Rachel looked up confused "I don't follow."
"The headline they're going with is Why Chastity is Cool All Over Again. They're setting me up as the new next door, a role model for Christian girls across the states. I talk about how I'm head of the chastity club and the importance of staying pure." She began to gently tear the corners of the images, slowly picking fractions of it away. "And it's all a lie."
Rachel watched as Quinn's eyes began to fill. Quinn's gentle tearing turned to ripping and soon the image was like confetti, scattered around the huge bed.
"I slept with Puck" Quinn added suddenly.
"Oh" added Rachel. "Well if you think about it, who hasn't Puck slept with?" It was the wrong thing to say and Quinn's body suddenly became racked with sobs.
"I didn't mean it like that" added Rachel quickly "I mean, the public, the producers, they'll be on your side, you were heartbroken, the man you loved had left you and broke up with you in front of everybody. You were weak and a neanderthal took advantage of you, no one is going to blame you for this Quinn. In fact, it makes you human, you can show other girls how to learn from their mistakes."
"That's real inspirational and all" snapped Quinn except for two minor details that you've missed out."
Rachel shrugged.
"One I cheated on Finn with Puck." She mumbled. The relief of saying it out in the open hit her immediately.
"Oh and two, yeah I'm kind of pregnant."
Rachel didn't say anything at first. Then it hit her.
"You know what's really cool about being in a hotel; you can eat food in bed! Amazing right! So I'm going to order us room service." She fiddled with the menu, in an attempt to choose an item that would best articulate her response to the situation. "So I'm going to order you some ice cream, and some fries and then some more ice cream… for me. I mean I'm usually vegan but I guess I'll make an exception because I'm actually really hungry..."
"Seriously, Berry, that's what you've come up with; room service?" Quinn sniffled, incredulously.
Rachel smiled and tossed Quinn a box of tissues from the bedside table. Quinn hestitated for a moment and then took them, her lips almost forming a smile and giving a grateful nod.
It was a totally ludicrous response, she knew that, but then again, Rachel thought, glancing at her once enemy, it was a totally ludicrous situation to be in.
Ah some nice bonding there! Please read and review!