It was around 1 o'clock in the morning when the party was at it's wildest. Everyone was either drunk or almost getting there, people had started a bonfire and the music was blasting everywhere and kids were dancing and acting like idiots. Some were even off deep into the woods getting action or just making out. This was all Puck's definition of a perfect party.
Quinn sat on the roof of Puck's truck drinking her beer, watching Santana dance with three other football players. She laughed to herself, wondering how many times she'd seen her best friend in that position. Those were too many parties to count, so she simply gave up and looked around.
She could see Brittany pushing Artie around in his wheelchair as they attempted to dance. It looked like she was having fun, but Quinn knew that there was no better dance partner for Brittany than Santana. She hoped her two friends would work things out soon, she kind of missed them together. Other Gleeks were there too, dancing and singing along to the music. She saw that Kurt had even brought Blaine along, and like she'd seen at Rachel's party last year, the Warbler boy was already drunk and dancing like a fool.
Quinn tried to hold back her laughter as she saw her old friend's interactions with one another. She would never admit it out loud, but Quinn did in fact miss being in the choir room at times. She remembered how fun it was.
" Hey! Watch this!"
Quinn turned her attention over to the group of jocks standing around the beer keg. Puck was holding three drinks and attempting to drink all of them at the same time. Puck succeeded as the other boys cheered him on, and he made a mess as he spilled the beer all over himself. He was certainly an idiot when he was drunk.
She noticed Finn was with the group of boys there, laughing and drinking with them. His presence already made her feel uncomfortable and uneasy. Finn was the first boy she ever actually cared for, maybe even loved. But he had put her through so much crap and she was tired of him now. She was done with it. She took a long sip of her beer as she kept looking around. Wasn't Berry supposed to be here?
Quinn tried to look over the other tall jocks around Finn, trying to catch a glimpse of the short diva standing there. But she wasn't. Maybe Finn forgot to pick her up or just decided to come without her. But that wasn't the case, Finn loved Rachel. He may be a dumb boy, but he's not stupid. He wouldn't do that. He was too nice. Maybe Rachel had changed her mind or some plans had come up and she was unable to come. Maybe her dads didn't allow her to come to the party.
She was so busy with her thoughts that she hadn't noticed that she was now wandering around the party looking for the small brunette. With a drink in hand, Quinn walked around and searched for her, while at the same time wondering why she was even doing that. Must be the alcohol, she thought. Yes, definitely the alcohol.
She stopped after a while, standing a bit far from the party, examining the area. She had looked everywhere like an idiot. Maybe Rachel hadn't come after all.
She glanced behind her and saw a grass hill that overlooked the place. She noticed a small figure at the top of the hill, looking down at everything. Why would someone be all the way out there? Apart from everyone, alone in the darkness….leave it to Rachel Berry to do such thing.
" You could get kidnapped, you know!"
The smaller girl jumped at the sudden sound of Quinn's voice behind her. She watched Quinn approach her, walking up the hill. She gave a slight smile and looked down at her hands nervously.
"H-Hello Quinn, nice to see you here", Rachel spoke. Quinn stood over her, looking down at the view that the brunette had been watching the whole time. She could see everything.
" Seriously", Quinn began with her stern tone, " Why are you out here? Some psycho could be out here or something"
" You've watched too many horror movies, Quinn. I'm perfectly fine here, I've even got my rape whistle with me", Rachel assured her, " But I do appreciate your concern"
Quinn scratched her head, realizing that she had indeed shown somewhat concern for the smaller girl. She shook it off and muttered, "Whatever"
Rachel was wearing blue jeans and her usual red sweater with a deer on it. Quinn was wearing a light blue dress with a gray cardigan, somewhat warm enough to shield her from the cold air. Rachel wanted to make a comment and tell the head cheerleader about the importance of a jacket when out in this kind of weather. But as she watched the blonde girl stare off in deep thought, she backed down. The silence was nice and comfortable after all. Rachel looked up at the night sky and saw all the stars shining.
" Too bad this isn't really a star gazing party", Rachel began, Quinn looking over at her with full attention. She saw Rachel being mesmerized by the stars, the look on her face reminding her of the same look she had on her face when they were in New York.
" They're all missing out on how beautiful those stars are. So small, yet so bright", Rachel commented with a smile on her face. Quinn kept staring at her, stunned at how pretty Rachel looked in that moment as she looked up at the sky in amazement.
" And I'm looking at the best and brightest one.."
Quinn had muttered those words so low and softly, almost like a whisper. She was actually taken back by the words that had escaped her own mouth, and she panicked when she realized that Rachel had in fact heard them. Rachel glanced at her with a confused look that quickly changed and she was now blushing. Her face red and huge smile on her face.
" Thank you, Quinn", she giggled, " That's nice of you"
Quinn simply looked away, shaking her head. Why had she said that? She wasn't even supposed to be here with Rachel, she wasn't even supposed to be acknowledging her! Quinn let out deep breaths as she tried to shake off all these thoughts from her head. She needed to leave. Now.
" Why isn't Hudson here with you?", Quinn's tone of voice became a bit harsh and demanding. Rachel noticed the change and quickly glanced down at the party below them.
" He's down there with his football friends. I'm letting him have some fun and enjoy himself for a while", the brunette explained. Quinn didn't buy it. She could tell by the diva's hurt facial expression that Finn hadn't even taken the girl's feeling under consideration and had in fact just left her out on her own. Quinn rolled her eyes and frowned at the boy's idiocy. Had he not begged Rachel to come to the party with him? How could he just leave her like that? This was making Quinn feel guilty as she thought about wanting to leave the smaller girl. But why should she have to fix the stupid boy's mess? Why should she feel the need to stay and keep the girl company? It's not like she cared…
" Oh Quinn, y-you don't…", Rachel spoke as she suddenly watched the blonde girl sit down beside her with a frown on her face. The blonde had decided to stay. Rachel knew it was probably out of pity.
" You don't have to, you know", Rachel assured her. Quinn turned to her and carelessly shrugged, " You don't have to feel sorry for me", Rachel stated.
Quinn nodded and looked away, " Not everything is about you, Berry", she scoffed, " I'm simply tired and need a place to sit and finish my drink", she said as she took a sip of her beer. Rachel couldn't help but give a small smile and a nod as she understood. Quinn would never admit to being nice, specially to her. So she simply let Quinn be nice to her in her own way.
" So Glee club's going through hell, I heard", Quinn began a conversation hoping it would get Rachel to stop staring at her or think too much about what she was doing.
" Santana told you?", Rachel groaned, the situation already upsetting her.
" Yes", Quinn said, " And I also saw the trash cans filled with the Glee audition flyers", she added and Rachel gave her a look of disbelief.
" What? I had nothing to do with that", Quinn said in her defense and Rachel just looked away.
" I know, I know", she sighed, " I just can't believe the nerve of some people. I mean, I get that everyone hates our club but I just can't see why they're so determined to bring us down. But of course they won't have anything to worry about, now that there will no longer be a Glee club and.."
" Hey!"
Rachel stopped rambling and turned to Quinn who was looking at her with an amused looked.
" You talk too much", Quinn told her and before Rachel could respond, she raised her hand and covered the diva's mouth, " And you worry too much"
Rachel tried to listen to the blonde's words but she couldn't concentrate as she felt the touch of Quinn's hand on her skin and lips. She had never really felt the blonde's touch before, except for the few times when Quinn had grabbed her arm and pulled her aside to talk to her, but that was when she was angry and aggressive. Also, the blonde would never allow her to even touch her, she would push Rachel away or just pull away and step back. So now Quinn putting her hand over her mouth was really new and different.
Quinn pulled her hand away and Rachel let out a breath that she didn't even realize she was holding.
" Mr. Schue will find a way to convince Figgins to keep the club going regardless or he might get one of his old high school friends to return and join Glee, heck maybe April Rhodes will step in again", Quinn explained, scoffing at the ridiculousness of some of the possibilities, " And Coach Sylvester hasn't planned anything against the club, that I've heard of, so you guys should be safe"
Rachel smirked and noticed how Quinn obviously still did care for their club. Maybe not enough to have stayed, but it was still care indeed.
" Though that's all somewhat comforting, Quinn, it still doesn't change the fact that if there's no new members then there's no more Glee club. We need one person at least, but.. No one at McKinley would be stupid enough to try. Who'd expose themselves to slushie facials or humiliation", Rachel explained. Quinn grimaced, knowing Rachel was right.
" I'm going to really miss it", Rachel said, looking down at her friends at the party below them. Quinn followed her gaze and could see the Gleeks, her former friends, dancing around and some even singing along to the music blasting.
" It's one of the best things that's ever happened to me. It gave me wonderful friends to talk to and a reason to still keep believing in my dreams", Rachel smiled, " I just fear that it will all be gone once Glee club ends", she added and felt a tear run down her cheek.
Quinn still hadn't said anything. She sat there listening to every word the girl said, feeling the sadness in her voice. She didn't want to look at Rachel's eyes, she feared that once she did she'd be forced to do something. She feared she might just give in and feel the need to..help her.
" Fabray!"
Quinn jumped and snapped out of her thoughts, hearing her name being called out so loudly. She and Rachel both quickly turned around and saw Santana approaching them, obviously drunk and barely holding herself together. Quinn stood up and went over to meet her, grabbing her by the waist and holding her up so she wouldn't fall over in her drunken state.
" What the hell are you doing with manhands?", Santana yelled in her ear, making Quinn turn away from her so she wouldn't smell the alcohol in her breath.
" Nothing", Quinn answered, noticing Rachel walking over to them, " Just uh.."
" She doesn't look so good", Rachel pointed out before she could finish.
" Excuse you? I'm looking great! I'm peeeerfect!", Santana snapped back at the smaller girl, slurring her words. Rachel stepped back and raised her hands before the Latina could confront her any further.
" Lets leave now", Quinn decided, pulling Santana away. She didn't want to stay any longer, being around Rachel was messing with her mind too much.
" Quinn Fabray! Just what do you think you're doing!"
Quinn looked back, startled by Rachel's outburst. Santana, even in her state, looked to the other girl with a scowl.
" You cannot drive right now, you've been drinking!", Rachel approached, pointing at her with accusation. Quinn moved her shoulder a bit so Santana wouldn't drag her down as she held her up.
" I'm not drunk, Berry", Quinn stated and took out her car keys from her pocket. In that instant, the keys were quickly dragged away from her hands. She looked up and saw Rachel holding them tightly in her hands. She was at loss of words, who knew the diva could do that?
" You're not driving anywhere like that, Quinn. Not on my watch", Rachel smirked. Quinn groaned and began to put down Santana down on the grass. Santana was so drunk that she could barely make sense of what was going on around her. She was obviously getting sick and sleepy.
" Give me the keys, Berry", Quinn turned to the brunnette, who began to step back from her.
" No!", Rachel responded and before she knew it she was being chased around by Quinn. Rachel laughed as Quinn struggled to keep up and not fall down every so often. Quinn was getting frustrated by then and took a chance, jumping on top of the smaller girl.
" Hand em' over!", Quinn demanded, on top of Rachel and beginning to tickle her sides so she'd let go of the keys. Rachel's face turned red and she could barely contain her laughter, yet still squeezing the keys tight in her hand.
" Quinn! Stop!", Rachel laughed, then joined by Quinn's laughter. The head cheerleader couldn't stop smiling and laughing along with the girl, heck she even forgot about the keys for a moment there.
" What the hell?"Santana had finally opened up her eyes and made sense of the scene before her. Her best friend, Quinn Fabray the HBIC on top of the annoying dwarf, Rachel Berry as they both cried in laughter. The sight was just ridiculous and crazy. Either she was way too drunk herself or maybe Quinn was the drunk one, or maybe Quinn was giving Berry a beat down?
Quinn and Rachel noticed the Latina girl staring at them and stopped their movements immediately. Quinn rolled off of Rachel and laid down on the grass next to her, catching some air. Rachel stayed in silence, catching some air too while at the same time trying to make sense of what had just happened. Quinn Fabray was just on top of her, tickling her and making her laugh…and most of all, she was laughing and smiling too. The scene replaying in her mind brought an even bigger smile to her face.
Quinn looked over at her again and gently took the keys from Rachel's hand while she was lost in her thoughts. Rachel snapped out of it and turned over to her with disbelief..she lost to her.
" We're going now", Quinn stated, her tone of voice being a bit colder again. As if pretending that whatever had occurred just now didn't even happen. Rachel couldn't help but frown and feel disappointed. She watched Quinn go over to Santana, helping her stand up. Santana still had a confused look on her face but was quiet, the alcohol obviously getting to her.
" Quinn", Rachel spoke up as she stood up. Quinn glanced over at her, still holding Santana up, " B-Be careful", Rachel said and Quinn simply nodded.
Then Rachel watched her leave, dragging Santana away with her. Rachel couldn't shake off the feeling that Quinn had left her with. She couldn't exactly tell what this feeling was, but she could feel it everywhere as if it were just about to burst out. She felt such a rush. It was like having so many emotions at the exact same time. She smiled, knowing that whatever this feeling was it simply made her feel good. It was definitely a good feeling.
Quinn was able to drive home safely with Santana, who stayed the night over at her house. Quinn was thankful that her friend hadn't brought up or questioned her about what she saw last night with her and Rachel. She probably didn't even remember and she was now too busy dealing with her hangover. Either way, Quinn was just glad no one had seen her around Rachel that night. Being spotted around Berry could hurt her reputation and ruin everything she had been building up so far. She couldn't let her guard down. She had to keep control, specially around Rachel Berry.
On Monday, everything was back to normal. Quinn walked down the hallways and went to class without a word or glance towards Rachel, who didn't really expect any of that, but she still had hoped for at least some kind of interaction with the blonde after what had happened at the party..
During Glee club later that day, everyone was prepared to hear Mr. Schuester's announcement about the club being over because no one had bothered to audition or join. Rachel had walked in already with a broken heart, ready to let go of the club. But something unexpected happened.
Two young freshman Cheerios showed up in the choir room requesting to join the club. They didn't seem too excited to be there, it even looked as if they were there against their own will. Rachel figured maybe they were dared to join, maybe threatened, or maybe they were planning a prank? Maybe it was one of Sue's plans to bring down the club but Sue Sylvester even seemed enraged to find out about it, so it couldn't be...
Either way, no matter what the reason, the addition of those two Cheerios saved Glee club and Rachel Berry couldn't have been happier…though she wished it had been another blonde Cheerio that had joined.