BY VERY DEFINITION
15. Real Freaks
"Slam into me one more time!" Quinn threatened on her way to her second hour class. June Harrison turned around with a raised eyebrow and a cocky smile.
"What? What are you gonna do to me?" June asked arrogantly.
"Just because you hate me doesn't mean that I can't make you stop." Quinn growled, "Because like it or not, you're still just a small, weak, scared, breakable little girl. And you thinking badly of us isn't going to stop us from getting justice."
"Don't you mean revenge?" The drama girl asked airily.
"Call it what you'd like. But just keep in mind that you may end up like Lemsky, Parker isn't the only one who can fend people off!"
"I'm scared." June said sarcastically, rolling her eyes. Just then Puck turned a hallway and came to stand next to Quinn, looking from one girl to another in confusion.
"Hey Babe, what's up?" He asked. Quinn just continued to stare June down until finally the shorter girl shrugged and walked away. Quinn sighed and brought her arms up to wrap around her stomach. "What's wrong?" Puck asked.
"I need to talk to Parker."
"You what?" Parker was sitting on a chair in the front of the choir room, facing the rest of the club. They all sat facing her, and Quinn was standing in front of them, watching Parker with her hands on her hips.
"I need you to show me how to give that rotten June Harrison what's coming to her." Quinn responded. Parker fidgeted, they were all looking at her expectantly.
"I don't see how I can do that, I don't really..." She stammered.
"Stop it. Those skills that you used on Lemsky, teach us how to do more of that."
"But those skills are for survival purposes only, they're not for beating people up."
"But June's a bully." Artie said quietly, "She took the brake off my wheelchair the other day, I almost rolled down the stairs, and that would have hurt."
"That's horrible." Parker whispered.
"Yes, it is." Quinn said forcefully, "If you could push Lemsky's slushie back in his face, we can teach that little drama freak a lesson."
"I don't think we should use the word freak."
"Why not?"
"Because we're the school freaks. If we start using it as an insult it makes the word even more derogatory when it's used against us." Parker explained.
"Please Parker." Quinn begged.
"Yeah, help us take her down a few notches." Rachel said, the others nodded mildly.
"I don't see why Parker has to do this, I can be mean just as good as she can. If not better." Santana pointed out, disgruntled.
"You can't because you're just mean-spirited. Parker only does things as self-defense. She just gives them what they deserve." Brittany answered her.
"And Parker's a legend." Quinn cut in.
"I don't know if I feel right doing this." Parker muttered, "June isn't all that bad...not all of the time, anyway."
"Well, she keeps slamming into a pregnant woman." Kurt pointed out.
"You're in favor of this?" Parker demanded, appalled.
"I think she has something coming." Kurt said.
"And what kind of people would we be if we let ourselves get pushed around by a shorty like June Harrison?" Mercedes put in seriously, that made Parker bite her lip indecisively.
"Can I talk to you for just a minute?" Quinn asked, already pulling Parker out of her chair and escorting her across the room. She looked at Parker with her arms crossed across her chest vulnerably. She spoke in a quiet voice, "Parker, I know you don't want me to bring it up, but I see your scars every day at home. I mean, those can't all have been accidents, right? Just think about your arms, I'm sure those are the reasons that you learned survival skills in the first place. We may not all be burned and scarred, but this is what makes us feel worst. We don't want to spend our lives laying down so that June Harrison and the rest of the drama kids can walk all over us. That's the way the rest of us will scar." Parker was stroking her sleeves self-consciously, her eyes were dull and lowered. Finally, she looked up and met Quinn's eyes.
"Fine." She said in defeat.
"Thanks." Quinn said, still serious, "This really means a lot to me." Parker merely shrugged. They walked back to the rest of the group and Quinn gave them all two thumbs up and a big smile, the resulting cheers were deafening. "Hit it." Quinn said to the band.
"This appeared as a moral dilemma
Cause at first it was weird though I swore to eliminate
The worst of the plague that devoured humanity
It's true I was vague on the 'How'
so how can it be that you have shown me the light?
It's a brand new day
And the sun is high
All the birds are singing
That you're gonna die
How I hesitated
Now I wonder why
It's a brand new day
All the times that you pushed me around I'll forgive
All the crimes Incomplete, listen honestly I'll live
Ms. Cool, Ms. Right, Ms. Knowitall is through
Now my future's so bright and I owe it all to you Who showed me the light
It's a brand new me
I've got no remorse
Now the water's rising but I know the course
I'm gonna shock the world
Gonna Show the course
It's a Brand New Day
And how she will see the evil me
Not a joke not a dork not a failure
And she may cry but her tears will dry
When I show her I'm not to mess with, honey.
It's a brand new day
Yeah the sun is high
All the angels sing
Because you're gonna die
Go ahead and laugh
Yeah I'm a funny guy
Tell everyone goodbye
It's a brand new day"
After school that day Quinn, Mercedes, Kurt, and Parker sat on a bench in front of the school. Kurt slouched back, leaning against the brick school wall; Quinn distractedly doodled on her stomach, which was near popping point; Mercedes was looking through her bag to see if she had brought her science book with her; and Parker was staring up at the clouds, swinging her feet back and forth.
"I got roped into babysitting my little brother tomorrow night." Mercedes said, locating her science book and closing her bag back up.
"But tomorrow is the Basketball game." Kurt said, "I have to perform with the Cheerios, you said you'd come."
"Oh my lord, I completely forgot! Kurt, I'm so sorry, but I can't get out of it." Mercedes apologized, "Maybe Quinn will go."
"I can't either. Mrs. Pierson is taking me to a doctor's appointment, I've only got a week until my due date." Quinn said.
"And she's supposed to be taking it easy anyway." Parker added, "Even going to school is pushing it nowadays."
"What about you, Parker? Will you come?" Kurt begged.
"Don't see why not." Parker shrugged.
"Don't sound too enthusiastic." Kurt said sarcastically as he sat up straight and crossed his arms.
"It's a basketball game, I can't get much more excited than I already am." Parker said with another shrug. A shiny silver volvo pulled up in front of the school with Rhonda at the wheel. At that point in her pregnancy Quinn wasn't allowed to drive, nor was she allowed to walk the short distance from the school to the house. Rhonda was very cooperative, suggesting that she pick them up and drop them off until the baby came. Parker and Quinn picked up their bags and stood.
"Thanks for waiting with us." Quinn said as they headed off toward the car. The others followed her and Rhonda rolled down the passenger window as Quinn took shotgun and Parker climbed into the back seat.
"Hey you two." She greeted Kurt and Mercedes with a smile.
"Hi, Mrs. Pierson." Mercedes answered promptly.
"Hey, Mrs. Pierson." Kurt said.
"What are you two doing today?" Rhonda asked.
"Nothing much." Kurt said, inching toward the car. In the backseat, Parker rolled her eyes and moved into the far seat.
"Well, why don't you two come home with us?" Rhonda offered, "You could stay for dinner..."
"No need to ask me twice." Kurt victoriously ducked into the volvo and sat next to Parker.
"Budge up." Mercedes ordered him, squishing herself in next to them. Rhonda laughed.
"Well, I'll take that as a compliment." She said as she put the Volvo into drive and pulled away from the curb.
"Thanks, Mrs. Pierson." Kurt said.
"Yeah, we really appreciate you inviting us over." Mercedes added. Rhonda glanced at the group of teenagers in the backseat via the rearview mirror.
"You are welcome any time. What are your plans for the rest of the week?"
"Parker is going to the basketball game tomorrow night." Kurt said.
"Really?"
"Apparently." Parker sighed.
Song= "Brand New Day" from Dr. Horrible's sing-a-long blog. Tweaked a surprising amount to fit the context.
This Chapter= Short and Lame
Next Chapter= GOOD!
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