BY VERY DEFINITION
7. Young Mothers
"Abby. Sophia. Jessalyn. Adabelle. Melody. Coraline. Audrey. Beccalynn. Mai." Parker prattled off baby names as she and Quinn walked from school to Parker's house.
"I still don't know if I want to keep the baby." Quinn said forcefully, her hands resting on her stomach.
"Preparation." Parker said, "Just in case you change your mind at the last minute and name her something plain like Emily or Sarah. They're fine names and all but where's the originality?"
"I don't know." Quinn agreed distractedly, she looked up as Parker turned and walked up a driveway, "This is where you live?" She asked.
"More or less." The two girls walked into the house and Rhonda moved into the hallway from the kitchen (her favorite room of the house) to greet them. She looked surprised for a moment, her eyes resting on Quinn's belly. She shook her head the smallest amount and moved her eyes back to Quinn's face, not wanting to make the younger girl feel self-conscious.
"Hello Parker, how was school?" Rhonda asked, looking at Parker with an almost-effortless smile.
"It was okay. School is school. This is my friend, Quinn. She's in Glee club too. Quinn, this is Mrs. Pierson." Quinn's right hand left her stomach as she took Rhonda's hand and shook it.
"It's very nice to meet you, Mrs. Pierson." Quinn said politely.
"It's nice to meet you too, Qunn. Now," Rhonda said when they broke the handshake, "Will you be staying for dinner?"
"I'm not sure. I think Mrs. Puckerman is ordering chinese tonight." Quinn hesitated.
"Does she ever cook?" Parker asked.
"Sometimes."
"Well, Rhonda is an excellent cook. Best cook ever, I'd say. You should stay." Parker said, Rhonda beamed at the praise.
"We're having lasagna." She coaxed, Quinn bit her lip.
"Do you have bacon?" She asked.
"Sure, I could whip some up too, if you'd like." Rhonda said, a little confused.
"That'd be wonderful, if it's no inconvenience. See, sometimes I really want bacon. But I just think that's because I used to like it and now Mrs. Puckerman won't let me eat any."
"Jewish." Parker clarified.
"Oh. Are you Jewish too?" Rhonda asked reasonably.
"No, but she thinks it's better for the baby. And they don't keep any bacon in the house. I miss pork." Quinn said sadly.
"So, who is this Mrs. Puckerman?" Rhonda asked, trying to make sense of the conversation.
"Puck's mother."
"Puck Puckerman?" Rhonda sounded amused. Parker and Quinn giggled appreciatively.
"Noah Puckerman. Puck for short." Quinn corrected. Rhonda looked at her foster-daughter who mouthed Baby Daddy while Quinn looked at her stomach again. Rhonda nodded in comprehension.
"I'll be sure to make some bacon." Rhonda said, resting a hand on Quinn's shoulder before turning back to the kitchen.
"That went better than I thought it would." Parker commented as she and Quinn climbed the stairs up to her room.
"Why's that? Nice room." Quinn complimented as she stepped inside the bedroom.
"Thanks. Courtesy of Kurt." Parker dropped her backpack and plopped down on her bed, looking at the ceiling, Quinn did the same.
"Kurt-o-see." She joked, Parker laughed. "So why didn't you think this would go well?"
"You're pregnant." The smaller girl answered simply.
"Is she okay with that?"
"I'm sure she is. Rhonda is the kindest soul. But I was worried that it might make her sad."
"Why would it make her sad?" Quinn asked.
"Because Rhonda can't get pregnant. She spent years and years trying. You've just met her and I bet you can already tell that she's perfect mother material."
"I'll say." Quinn agreed.
"It's not fair, she was so meant to be a mother. And she can't be."
"I think it's one of those things that God does for a reason." Quinn said, her friend looked at her. Growing up Parker had gone to Church, it was a nice place where she knew she could be herself, where she didn't have to be afraid. Her parents didn't even take her, she went there when she needed a refuge. She'd never really doubted that there was a god, but sometimes she wasn't so sure about his power or reasoning.
"Why would God keep someone like Rhonda from being a mother?" She asked.
"She's your foster mother, right? I think that she wanted to have kids, and never could. But her sadness was used in such a wonderful way."
"How's that?"
"She's the best mother a person could ask for, and she opened up her home for someone who really needed a good mother. She took that love and instinct that she would have used for her own children and gave it to someone who really needs it. She gets a child, you get a home and a family."
"Huh. I guess so." Parker agreed, slightly cheered, "She'll be great once she gets the hang of being a parent, and once I'm used to being a daughter."
"I think it'll come." Quinn assured her, "She seems to really care about you. And you're a good person, a good kid, a good friend, I can't see any way that that wouldn't work out in the end."
"What about pregnancy? Infancy? Potty training, diapers, elementary school, little league, report cards, parent teacher conferences, school board, soccer games, ballet recitals, teaching to read, making a photo album? She's missing all of those things."
"Maybe you're all they need. Or maybe they'll adopt an infant. Who knows? They're young, they don't need to decide it just yet." Quinn insisted. Parker mumbled something unintelligible to the ceiling. "What was that?"
"You haven't seen the basement yet." Parker sat up. Quinn sat up more slowly, thrown off by the sudden change in subject. She followed Parker down the stairs to the basement.
"Wow." She complimented.
"Rhonda used to be a Ballerina, and tap dancer. She was good too, I've seen videos. She was the best instructor in the state. But then she shattered her leg a couple of years ago. Hasn't danced since."
"That's sad."
"Very sad. But she moves on."
"Wish I could." Quinn mumbled.
"What was that?" Parker asked, walking toward the center of the room, Quinn followed her.
"Parker, I haven't known you very long and I don't expect you to understand. But I feel a little messed up. I miss dating Finn, I miss living with my parents, I miss being popular." The pregnant girl explained sadly.
"Of course I understand." Parker said seriously.
"How?" Quinn demanded.
"I just..do." Parker looked down.
"I feel like everything has been ripped out of me." Quinn continued, "And it left everything all...broken." Parker lifted her eyes to see Quinn staring at her stomach with tears in her eyes. Pulling up her sleeves, she walked to the piano.
"Well," Parker said, "I know something that might make you feel better." She sat on the bench.
"You want me to sing?" Quinn asked, not very enthusiastic. Parker grinned.
"I didn't say that. You just stay there. I'll be over here playing the piano, do what you want." She put her fingers on the keys and started playing. Quinn's eyes widened in recognition of the tune. She walked distractedly to the center of the room and faced the mirrors and sang.
"Cry as much as I want to
Weep, I know I cant have you
I wipe my tears away, away
Wish, wish for the summer
Want, to pull over under
I wipe my tears away, away
I try, I try, I try
I try, I try, I try
I try to make the best at happiness
Im a broken heart
Im a broken heart
Im a broken heart
My love is bleeding
Im a broken heart
Im a broken heart
Im a broken heart
An empty feeling
I try, I try, I try
I try, I try, I try
I try to make do with much more of less
All, all of our moments
Have just become ailments
Im haunted all of every day
Ache, aching and teething
My big love is bleeding
I think I might be dying
I try I try I try
I try, I try, I try
I try to make the best at happiness
Im a broken heart
Im a broken heart
Im a broken heart
My love is bleeding
Im a broken heart
Im a broken heart
Im a broken heart
An empty feeling"
Quinn hastily wiped tears from her cheeks and eyes as Parker played the closing measures. She played the last note and turned to look at her friend.
"You're a really good singer." She complimented.
"So are you." Quinn said in a shaking voice, struggling to keep herself from cry more, "And you're a good piano player, too."
"Do you want to learn?" Parker asked, desperate to cheer her up.
"You'd do that?" Quinn sniffed.
"Of course. It'll be fun. Come here, we'll start with the basics." Parker gestured for Quinn to sit next to her, the blond girl obliged. Parker started from the very beginning: Keys, notes, and chords. Quinn was a fast learner, by the time Rhonda called them for dinner she could play and recognize the major chords.
"How was school?" James asked at dinner as he cut into his lasagna.
"It was okay." Parker answered, noticing the way James's eyes often flicked to Quinn as she devoured her bacon.
"What do you think, Quinn? Crunchy enough?" Rhonda asked kindly.
"Absolutely perfect, Mrs. Pierson." She answered, "I love your dance studio downstairs."
"It's nice. I haven't been down there that much in a while."
"It's lovely." Quinn insisted, making Rhonda smile appreciatively, "I missed pork, and food. Mrs. Puckerman almost always orders out, or we have TV dinners. It's not her fault, she works really hard and just doesn't have the time. After all, she's a single mother with three mouths to feed and a bad job."
"Who is..." James started, Rhonda stopped him with a shake of her head. Quinn was a very polite and grateful dinner guest. Rhonda stood behind Parker as she waved to her friend when she had to go home that night.
"She's very nice." Rhonda complimented as Parker closed the door, "I'm glad you're making friends."
"Me too." Parker said softly.
"So how did you two start being friends?" Mrs. Pierson asked with interest.
"She was desperate." She continued before Rhonda could interrupt, "She got shunned and booted from nearly every friend, family member, and social group she ever had. Everyone in Glee won't give her a chance because she was horrible to them for a really long time. But not to me, I was the only one who would talk to her and she was in such need of a friend that she let me say anything."
"That doesn't seem very sturdy." Rhonda said in concern.
"It isn't, yet. Maybe it'll get better. Maybe not. It all depends on a lot of things." Parker said before walking back up the stairs to her room.
Oh no, short again! The song in this chapter was "I'm A Broken Heart" by The Bird and The Bee
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