Return to Sender, Damaged in Transit
...
Quinn enters the hotel room she is sharing with Santana and Brittany. Through the thin walls, she can still make out her friend cursing in Spanish. This had been going on for hours; she'd eventually get Santana to calm down (without any help) and then either Finn or Rachel would just have to say something back, starting the whole thing all over again. Her arms are sore, stilettos have been jammed into her feet and she's pretty sure she has a few scratches but she draws the line at elbows being rammed into her chest.
She starts stuffing clothes into her bag, eager to finish packing before her roommates come back. This trip, in every single sense, has been a disaster. She knows she should have just told on Rachel and Kurt for sneaking out, it would have saved everyone a hell of a lot of trouble. When she finally zips up her suitcase, she strolls over to the window of her room to draw the curtains. Outside the cars are zooming down the road, people are bustling along the sidewalk and everywhere she looks she can see bright lights. It stirs something within her. Who gives Rachel the permission to be the only one destined for New York? With a sudden fervour Quinn strides over to her suitcase and sifts through the clothes she has just folded and packed. She frowns; everything she owns makes her look like a teenaged Midwest girl and that just won't do.
Santana is still yelling.
If she's going to carry out her plan, she needs to do it quickly before her newly found courage (recklessness) runs out. Quinn opens Santana's bag and inside she finds the more provocative clothes that her friend always wears to school. She picks out a skin-tight printed t-shirt making sure not to disturb too many clothes. She pairs the t-shirt with her own jeans and Santana's black knee high boots, before purposely doing her makeup to make herself look older. She takes one final look in the mirror, running a hand through her now shorter hair. With any luck no one will realise she has left.
Quinn grabs her purse and room key card and sneaks down the hallway as fast as she can. Suddenly she hears a door opening and she freezes; if Mr. Schuester sees her he'll realise what she's up to and she'll be confined to her room until they leave for their flight the next morning. She hears more yelling and the door slams shut, thankfully whoever it is doesn't come out. She hasn't decided where she's going or what she will do; all she knows is that if she's going to end up a Lima loser anyway, she wants to be the one getting to see Manhattan by night. Before Rachel.
When the elevator reaches the lobby she quickly heads for the main entrance, hoping that the receptionist doesn't recognise her. As she steps out of the hotel, the breeze whips her hair and she tries to take in her surroundings. A lot of things look very different at night and Quinn's not really sure where she wants to go first or how she'll get there. The thought of using the subway alone at night makes her rather uncomfortable. She's rudely brought out of her thoughts when a large woman bumps into her, not even stopping to apologise as she continues past.
The real New York.
The people in front of her walk in a continuous stream of human traffic and every time she attempts to step in, someone gives her a dirty look and goes on their way. She can't help but feel out of her depth and well, perhaps this hasn't been the best of ideas. At least she's made it outside the hotel and that has to count for something.
"Well...aren't you the little rebel?"
She jumps and spins around, bumping into the heavy glass doors just as she gets a glimpse of his curls. "God you ass, you scared me half to death," she says, embarrassed that he's actually managed to catch her off guard.
"Good to know I haven't lost my touch." Jesse's dressed in a black t-shirt with rolled up sleeves, dark jeans and the cocky bastard smirk to match.
"Why are you here?" she asks with a sigh, rubbing her stinging elbow.
"I came to see Rachel."
She rolls her eyes; yet again she has come full circle. Apparently it is too much to ask to go five minutes without being reminded of the brunette diva. "How did you know where to find her anyway?"
"Let's be honest she's never been good at keeping secrets – do you think she could resist posting every little detail on Facebook?" he asks casually. "The better question is...what are you doing out here? If I remember correctly you are on a school trip –"
She shrugs in response and breaks eye contact.
"– and these kinds of trips normally come with a curfew. It's 10 o'clock at night Quinn..." He looks at her, eyes teasingly staring her down.
"I just came out for some fresh air."
"Right. And I presume you always dress like this." He looks her up and down and she can't help but feel a little self-conscious. "Not that I'm complaining of course – it suits you. Even the hair."
Subconsciously her hand goes up to her hair and she's strangely upset that it only reaches her jaw line now. "It was Santana's idea; it's supposed to make me feel better," she says flatly.
"How's that working out?"
"Not great. Maybe it takes a while to kick in," she deadpans.
She hears him chuckle softly. "Well, I wouldn't be able to do it."
"Not even for a role on Broadway?"
"Not even if it had the combined effect of winning four National titles – at once."
"Seriously, that's your point of reference?" she asks, raising an eyebrow.
He ignores her remark and just keeps talking. "Besides how many bald young men do you think are successful in theatre? This isn't Hollywood," he scoffs disdainfully. "But really, what are you doing out so late?"
"I came out here because I thought – if there was one less person stopping Santana from mauling Finn and Rachel, she might actually succeed." A wry smile crosses her face.
"Looks like I just can't get a straight answer from you," he says, a hint of a smile still on his lips.
"It's worked for me before." She defiantly holds his gaze.
"That makes two of us." He grins back at her before looking into the distance. "Listen...come with me."
"What?"
"You and me, we'll paint the town," he drawls, winking at her.
"And all that jazz?" She gives him an unimpressed look and he looks marginally amused that she's just made a theatre reference. So some of Rachel's mindless rambling has seeped through. Whatever. "I don't think so. I need to go back upstairs. Brittany may not notice that I'm gone, but the others will and they'll tell Mr. Schue."
"Are you afraid?"
"No." If he's trying to challenge her, and she's pretty sure he is, she's not going to back down that easily. "I just don't trust you."
He lets out a short, sharp laugh. "Come on Fabray, you've already made it out this far. Besides you turned down my offer last time, look how that turned out."
She looks at him through narrow eyes, trying to think of a way of stopping him from getting what he wants. "If we go back inside, I can tell you what room Rachel's in and I'll protect you from Santana," she offers smiling playfully.
"As tempting as that sounds..." He rolls his eyes; he is getting far too good at reading her for her own comfort. "I've changed my mind; I want to see New York – with or without you. But it is in your best interest to join me."
She takes a long look back at the lobby and thinks of her teammates stuck in their rooms.
Jesse's idea of 'painting the town' is strolling through the Theatre District, and she has no choice but to go along with it. However, unlike Kurt and Rachel, he doesn't go on extensively about the minutiae of every single theatre and every single play; Quinn can't help but think that maybe he too, if it's even possible, is a little bit in awe. After all, he's coming face to face with his dream and she wonders if some day she'll find something she wants just as badly. Perhaps he doesn't feel the need to justify anything to her – the way his eyes light up as they walk past billboards of Wicked, Hair and Phantom tells her everything about how much he wants all of it, more than the divas' guided tour ever could.
He only speaks every now and then, and somehow she feels comfortable walking next to him in relative silence. Because Jesse knows so little about her, she isn't obliged to behave in a certain way – she doesn't have to be the good student, the perfect Fabray daughter, the caring girlfriend or any other of the roles she often assumes when interacting with people.
Quinn is positive that they've passed the same diner at least twice before but Jesse either doesn't care or doesn't want to admit they're going in circles. Nevertheless she keeps walking, taking in the feeling of being in a real city, far away from strangling cesspool that is Lima.
"Hey about time you guys got here," says a female voice.
"Excuse me?" Quinn asks now staring at the red haired girl who has approached them. She looks to be in her early twenties and Quinn can smell the alcohol on her breath.
"Charlie's waiting; mind you everyone's already got a head start, especially Peter. We all bet him he couldn't try every shot on the menu without getting shitfaced," she laughs, staggering a little.
"I'm sorry you must be confu..."
"Lead the way," says Jesse smoothly as ever, cutting Quinn off. The woman turns around and begins walking towards the nearby bar.
"What, are you crazy? We can't just crash some bar," she whispers, but he is already walking briskly in front of her. "What if they get raided? Just because you're not in high school doesn't make you legal Jesse." She's practically jogging trying to keep up with him.
"You make valid points Quinn, but -" he turns around abruptly and she almost bumps into him, "- free drinks." He looks down at her expectantly, mischief dancing in his eyes. She opens her mouth to argue again but he grabs her hand and strides into the bar.
...
Author's Note: I promised I'd update a little sooner, and I promised that Jesse and Quinn would be together in this chapter so I hope you all enjoy it. Seriously, writing banter between them is just too much fun. I hope you all can find the time to leave a review, it's always good to know that people are reading. I also like when I see a familiar name for a review, it means a lot that you keep coming back to this story. As always, thanks so much!