Hey guys, glad to hear some of you are enjoying the story so far! Reviews are much appreciated. Anyways I think the narrative perspective will loosely follow the pattern from Charlie to Rachel to Quinn throughout each chapter (in that order) and I'll see how that plans out, obviously it'll change for interactions, so it might just be relevant to the first three to get you a sense of how I'm portraying that character - hope you like this one!
"Quinnie could you go get Charlie some more bacon?" Judy's voice seemed too pitch perfect for the haze of the early light. The kitchen had been flooded in with the sharp brightness of Monday morning and the fact that her mother looked so organized was almost disturbing. It wasn't that Judy wasn't neat or that she didn't take pride in her appearance, no it was definitely the opposite, but the fact was that mornings were a time where Judy Fabray could be found with curlers in her hair and wrapped up in a warm night gown with prominent bags under her eyes from a glass of red wine and a good book the night before. Quinn had always felt a connection to her mother having spent that time with her in the morning, it was as if she was the only person in the world who got to see that snippet of Judy that no one else did. Sometimes she'd catch a glance at her when she was like this, so natural, so raw, and it was as if she was looking at entirely different person. But Judy's bright yellow cardigan and conservative white dress smothered any remaining parts of her secret Judy, and though Quinn was happy to know that was one thing she didn't have to share with Charlotte, she feared that maybe that Judy wouldn't reappear in the near future.
Nothing was the same since she got here. As soon as she turned up at her door step the night before Quinn's life was flipped around. She could still feel her mother's sharp stare when Quinn didn't hug her sister, it was judgmental and cold, punishable for an offence Quinn felt she hadn't commited. This wasn't her fault, was it? How did she suddenly turn into the bad twin. She was just getting her life back in track but now she was the one that got pregnant at sixteen and then turned goth. She clenched her jaw tightly in a bitter remembrance. Charlotte was anything but. Yesterday's dinner consisted of finding out all about Charlotte. What Charlotte did (which was a lot. Not only that, but whatever she did, she excelled in) what Charlotte wanted to do, what Charlotte hadn't done and what Charlotte was like. Her jaw ached from the tension that she held from the previous evening, but by the looks of it it wasn't going to get any rest, because now she was eating her bacon. Judy had stupidly forgotten that Charlotte mentioned she was a vegetarian, and clearly the not so perfect other daughter wanted to be polite and didn't remind her. Quinn scowled at their Labrador under the table who had the remains of Quinn's bacon around his mouth. Great. Now she'd have to share her dog too, especially hearing the sob story about having to leave her own back home. Her mothers voice shook her out of her darker thoughts.
"Quinn!" Judy's eyes focused on her from the sink and Quinn swallowed and looked away, only now realizing that she had been staring at her sister all this time. Staring was a nice way to put it, Quinn was looking at Charlotte with every negative thought too clear to the surface.
"Oh no I'm full, but thanks" Charlotte said in a such a genuine tone that it made it almost hard for Quinn to hate her. Almost. She rolled her eyes and opened her mouth to burst the bubble of a lie that her twin had already created, however she caught on. "It was amazing. Need any help with the dishes" Quinn's stomach turned in distaste. As if her and her mother needed anymore reason to have a stressed relationship, now she had the blessed Charlie to compare to. The worst part was that Charlie wasn't exactly perfect, she was just good. Which only made Quinn feel even worse about herself. She felt those thoughts reappear and she could hardly bite her tongue before they all came spewing out. Anger at her mom for agreeing, anger at her father taking her sister away, anger at Charlie for acting the way she did. But mostly, angry at herself, and what she'd made of her life.
"Are you sure Charlotte? I mean you really looked like you were enjoying that bacon" she almost hissed with her eyes snarling across the table. She couldn't believe what she was doing, why was she so full of hatred suddenly? She was scared, scared that her mother would prefer her, scared that everyone at school would like her more, scared that Charlie Fabray would become the girl Quinn never was and everyone would want to be. And she'd be left behind slipping into the corridors just again. The girl who screwed everything up.
"Charlie" Judy created again with the same mortified expression, of course it was directed to Quinn, since the amount of times her twin had said 'Please call me Charlie' was almost intoxicating. 'Charlie' seemed friendly, familiar, almost comforting. Quinn couldn't let her be any of those things, not just yet. The worst part was that she once was. Charlie was all of those things to Quinn. A long time ago, when things were different, when things were better, when Quinn was better. The feeling returned and her appetite dropped like a penny.
"It's ok. Charlotte's fine." Charlie said looking down at her lap. Quinn couldn't read her expression at all, it was the most unnerving thing. She could always tell if someone was angry or upset, but with Charlie it was blank. She couldn't tell anything. Which was odd since those same hazel eyes speckled with honey belonged to the other girl too. Quinn had felt as if her identity had been viciously ripped out from her chest every time she glanced at them. But Charlie didn't seem angry, maybe she wasn't a Fabray at heart. Charlie didn't even really seem upset, she just looked almost accepting. The awkward silence was disrupted from a raise of her head towards Judy. "The truth is that I don't eat bacon, or any meat. I'm sorry I should have reminded you, it's just no one's made me breakfast in a while and I didn't want to upset you" Puke. Quinn bit down on her bottom lip so hard she could almost taste blood amongst the pancakes and orange juice, but Judy's expression melted like butter in a pan. The problem again was the way Charlie said it, why did it have to be genuine, so unpretentious, so damn sincere! Quinn stood up and flung her school bag over her shoulder, adjusting her shorter hair which seemed to be the only way she could be told apart from Charlie now. Adjusting her cream skirt and raspberry cardigan she glanced down to make her brown oxford laces were tied and headed out without another word, leaving the planer Fabray in a green checked shirt behind, probably having some mother daughter time. Not that Quinn cared.
In a fury she drove to school without even second guessing how Charlie would get there, of course Judy would drive her, undoubtedly some weird vegetarian lunch packed with her too and a big kiss on the cheek. Quinn shuddered. As she pulled into school silently she marched through the halls without a word, she was already running the blunt line she'd practiced ever since she'd heard the news through her head. "This is my twin, Charlie. She's living with us for this year. She's been with my dad". Done. No more. No more explanations, no more introductions, no more telling everybody how stupidly wonderful she was. Because Quinn was sure people would find out on their own anyways. Slamming the door to the choir room she ran to an empty seat and plunked her bag down as she attempted to compose her trembling chest and uneasy legs. What if Charlie joined Glee? What if everybody would see that Quinn hadn't changed all along? Her heart sunk lower as she had no idea what to do. She just had to accept the inevitable. Puck would flirt with her, Brittany would befriend her, Mr Schuster would be kind to her, and Rachel would probably...Rachel.
The next few moments were spent wandering nonstop how Rachel would react, and throughout it Quinn didn't take a moment to wonder why she cared. She didn't have time though, the brunette appeared through the door with those same chocolate eyes gleaming back at her.
"Hello, Quinn."