*Authors Note* I'M BACK! Hello everyone, I'm so sorry for my leave of absence but I'm back now with chapter 13. I got some feedback for some more Kurt/Santana interaction with Rachel, so I begun that in this chapter. This is only a tad bit of what Rachel is going through in school after the whole Finn-Puck thing, and how it's very difficult for her. It's angsty for her, and you really get the sense of how alone she always feels. Near the end, it seems like you don't get anything from Blaine, and that's the way I wrote it. Chapter 14 I'll be adding in his thoughts to everything that happens between him and Rachel.

Reviews, Favorite Author/Story, Story Alerts, all of it makes me so happy and I thank you! Enjoy this chapter and please review!

P.S. If you have a tumblr, I am username 'klainchel' so please follow me, and if you let me know you read me fic, I'll follow you back if I don't already. As well as I made a blog dedicated to the fic and its 'spinning-out-fic' on tumblr, check it out, it has fashion, a song list and even a floor plan of blaine's house. Pretty neat.

Chapter 13

The next day at school felt as if Rachel had stepped into a complete alternate universe. No one parted when she walked down the halls, instead they pushed into her. No one averted her eyes; they only stared back in accusation. None of the Cheerios said hello to her, instead they turned to each other to whisper. Keeping her head up Rachel refused to scurry to her locker like she wanted to, and took her sweet time getting there. The atmosphere was so foreign to her that she fumbled with her locker combination.

"02-43-37" She hear someone say, and Rachel spun to face Kurt. The expression on his face was unreadable, which Rachel wasn't sure to take as a good sign or bad. At least it wasn't one of his famous bitch faces. "I don't understand how you can forget it, it's Cheer in numbers."

Rachel only shrugged, finally getting the lock free and pulling the locker open. "So I guess you've heard by now," She muttered, hiding behind the metal slate between them.

Kurt pulled it back so it was flat against the row of lockers and so he could see her. "Whoever hasn't must live under a rock, and that's only a level lower than Lima." Rachel only shifted her eyes to Kurt. Still she couldn't read his expression and it made her nervous. She could always tell what her best friend was thinking, and not knowing in that moment made her palms sweat. "Don't get your pom-poms in a twist," Kurt scoffed, noticing her discomfort. "I'm not upset with you, and I'm not judging you either, even if everyone else is." Rachel released the breath she didn't realize she was holding. "However, I am upset that you lied about it all. Not to everyone just me, you should've told me Rachel."

"I thought you would've gone telling everyone," Rachel said, "I would have."

"If I got into bed with Puckerman, I'd be telling people myself!" Kurt smirked, he'd always thought the boy with the Mohawk was cute, "Don't worry about it, a new scandal will come along soon enough and everyone will forget about this. No doubt that kid Anderson will be good for something, if not personality, maybe some entertainment."

Rachel buried herself deeper into her locker, hiding the guilty look on her face. Blaine was definitely entertaining however in a completely different aspect than Kurt was thinking, and if he were to cause any scandal, she would no doubt be a part of it, considering what they've been doing when their alone. "Maybe he'll just become a boring wash-up," Rachel offered, trying to side-step the topic of Blaine. Instead it only made it worse.

"No way," Kurt shook his head. "He's a complete asshole, but even I can admit that he's good looking. I mean have you seen him?"

Rachel nodded. She'd seen a lot more than what people might have thought. "I'd rather not talk about Blaine at the moment," She closed her locker and turned toward Kurt. "I already have to deal with him during class and after while we do the project." They're relationship was kind of un-titled at the moment, and even though she felt bad for lying to Kurt again, Rachel didn't want anyone to know anything until it was officially labeled. Until then, as long as she stayed in Limbo with Blaine, no one knew anything.

"How's that going anyways?" Kurt asked, falling in line beside her as she headed off to her class.

"Almost done actually," Rachel responded. She tried to cut the topic completely, knowing if Kurt pried any further, he would pick up on everything. "Listen, I've really got to go talk to Miss Cadott about this math equation from last night. I'll talk to you later okay?" Kurt nodded, startled by her sudden departure. Rachel raised and pressed a kiss to Kurt's cheek. "Thanks for everything Kurt, I really appreciate it." She said, before darting off.

It was because of her appreciation that Rachel felt back. Kurt was probably the one true friend she had and to lose him would only devastate her further. She'd tell him soon. Soon.

**Beat**

Rachel was caught off guard in the bathroom, and she should've known better to go in on her own. She'd always been the predator cornering her prey against the stalls in the corner, but now it seemed that Rachel had her back up against the wall as a beautiful, yet scolding, Latina stalked toward her.

"Santana," Rachel said stiffly, looking up from the sink and catching the girl's eyes in the mirror. They didn't look very friendly, and the smirk that was on her face was something Rachel recognized as the one she gave to people when she had insults spilling over her lips.

"Berry, what a surprise," She smiled, almost creepily. "How have you been?"

"Cut the small talk," Rachel snapped, narrowing her eyes before shifting them back to her own in the mirror, reapplying her mascara. "What do you want?"

Santana didn't answer at first. She slowly slapped her palms against one another, in a slow, condescending, clap. "I have to say, I'm impressed by how well you've been able to keep this secret. You know until you blew it and lost your boyfriend, your popularity, and your dignity."

Rachel turned away from the mirror, really facing Santana now. "You're still not any better than me Lopez. You're single, I'm still going to be more popular than you, and at least I'm not a whore. I've slept with –" Rachel hesitated for the slightest moment. "– one guy. That's about one 50th of the ones you've slept with."

"One guy?" Santana scoffed. "Finn told me you screwed Puckerman, he's also mentioned how you've been occasionally cozy with that new kid Anderson."

"Finn's an idiot," It was true, even if they did date for a while and what he said was indeed, as well, true. "Nothing is going on with me and Blaine."

"Puh-lease," Santana stepped closer to Rachel, laughing. "The smell of sex doesn't stay around that long, you've gotten some, and recently. Once again, I'm impressed that you managed to last that long until you spread your legs again,"

"Says the girl who can't keep them closed," Rachel's entire body tensed. She knew she couldn't win in this battle of wits, with anyone else, no doubt, but not when she's up against Santana Lopez. Beside's it hurt to insult her though she was just dishing back what she was taking. Santana was still her friend, or at least she thought so. "I'm leaving; I've got to get to class,"

"Off to class with Anderson?" Santana smirked, stepping into Rachel's way when she tried to leave. "Think you can get through it without begging for it halfway through?"

"Shut up,"

"Am I pissing you off?"

"Yes,"

"What are you going to do about it?" Santana tilted her head and there was the smirk. The same smirk Rachel used to have whenever she knew she had someone pinned down, pushed back into a corner, when she knew there was no way they could win, that she was a winner. It was a smirk so fucking patronizing that Rachel wanted to smack it right off.

So she did.

It was definitely a wrong move, and after the other night, Rachel knew she was no good in a fight. However Santana was more of a hair-pulling type than fists. The Latina's fingernails scratched at her scalp and pulled her pony tail almost free.

Rachel grabbed Santana's shoulders and shoved her hard against the handicap bathroom stall door, which surprisingly didn't swing open. Rachel was about to regain her balance and leave when she was thrown off and pain spread across the side of her face. She collided hard with the floor underneath the sink which she had just hit herself on. Rachel didn't bother getting up and going after Santana, because she was saying something sharply in Spanish and walking out before her head even cleared enough to process standing up.

Rachel hair was down now, falling out completely and some strands stuck to her face. Raising her hand, she felt something sticky and she groaned, knowing immediately she was bleeding. From what she felt it was a small cut, but the entire right side of her face ached and she swore she felt it swelling.

Grabbing the edge of the sink, Rachel managed to stand and face herself in the mirror. Yes, she had a scar just above her right eyebrow, and her hair looked matted, some strands slick with blood. Her face didn't look swollen, but it felt bruised and it she whimpered when she touched it. Her right eye didn't open all the way either, however, that didn't stop Rachel from noticing the two girls standing in the bathroom opening.

Rebecca Mellino and the other girl from her English class, Caylin, were standing there just staring at her. Rachel didn't have the energy or the determination to shoot them a glare, even if she was physically able. She only looked back at them until the warning bell rang and they ran out, whispering to one another.

Screw this, Rachel thought silently to herself, pressing a towel soaked with hot water to her face. I'm out of here. She threw out the towel and began to pack up. Rachel grabbed her makeup bag, purse, and books and booked it out of the bathroom so fast she didn't even notice the smoke coming out from behind the handicapped stall.

**Beat**

Rachel scrambled toward the back entrance of the school, her new solitude, escape route. She slammed open the door and burst into the chilly air, ignoring the Goosebumps that had sprouted over her skin. She slumped against one of the back walls of the school, reaching into her bag once more for her makeup. There was nothing she could do about the cut, besides stop the bleeding, and nothing really stopped the swelling of her face since she had no ice. The only thing she could really do was apply some cover-up though it didn't do a great job. Finally she gave up, and tossed everything back, not taking the time to make sure it was where it was supposed to be and buried her head, empty of the energy to drive home.

She didn't even get ten minutes of peace before she heard someone else exit through the back doors. Rachel didn't bother looking up, not until she heard a familiar voice call her name. Glancing up, Rachel shook her head. She should've known, she should've noticed the motorcycle propped against the wall a few yards beside her. "Shouldn't you be in class Blaine?"

"Shouldn't you?" He responded sharply, "You weren't in class, what other reason is there for sticking around, especially when that Mellino chick won't stop training her hawk eyes on me."

Rachel didn't know whether to scoff or laugh, her head just pounded too much to think and she raised it, hoping that resting it against the wall she was leaning on would help it.

"Whoa, what happened to you?"

Rachel groaned and turned her head away, eliciting another groan from the weight of her head. "Don't look at me, I'm a mess,"

"What's the matter with you lately?" Blaine crouched down next to her, balancing on his tip toes. "You've cut your arm, your eye is swollen and you're bleeding," His hand reached out to brush the strands away tentatively, examining the wound. "It's not deep though, and it's stopped I think."

Rachel made a noise of contempt, leaning towards his touch. It felt nice to have someone take care of her, even if it was a small gesture like this from someone like him. "I'll be fine," She muttered.

"Who did this?" Rachel shook her head; she wasn't sure what Blaine would do if she said. He wasn't the type to hit girls, but he also wasn't one to allow others too. "Rachel, tell me."

"It was Santana," She looked at him wearily, "She just would not shut up, about anything. Me and Finn, me and Noah, me and you… I didn't want to hear about it anymore. Not when she doesn't know anything, anything at all. Maybe about Finn and Noah, but for her to say that all I have with you is sex, it's just not true, and I didn't want her talking anymore."

Before Rachel could recognize the weight of her words, Blaine stiffened beside her. She went to take it back when he cut her off, "It's not just about sex?"

Now might as well be the time to be honest, "No. Come on, Blaine, was it ever really?" Rachel shook her head. "Maybe in the beginning it was to you, but now I'm not so sure, I just don't think either of us is willing to admit that we like each other. When I know I'm going to spend time with you, I don't look forward to just the physical stuff. I like just being around you, like this, right now." She stole a glance at him but couldn't tell what he was thinking. "This is nice, though I have a feeling it might be ruined by whatever it is your about to say."

Blaine didn't say anything though, he seemed almost rooted on the spot, and when he bent down on one knee, Rachel was afraid he was going to stand up, walk away, and never look back at her. How many time has this happened, she wondered, when a girl admitted her feelings to him and he had that same look on his face, the decision to walk away already permanent and stamped into his brain.

Zero. That's how many times he had that look on his face, because Blaine did something she was absolutely positive he had never done before in a situation like the one present. He leaned over, cupped her swollen cheek softly, and pressed his mouth to hers.

He made sure to avoid hurting her in any way, and even though the pain was still evident, Rachel concluded that it was the sweetest kiss she had ever shared with Blaine. When they pulled away she was almost scared to look at him. She did, however, when he brushed away the strands once more from her face. The look on his own was indescribable, something different, something changed, however still closed off.

"You should really go home, and clean up," He said softly.

Rachel was a tad bit disappointed in his post-kiss sentence choice, but still felt special that he cared for her. "Come with me," She whispered, trying not to sound desperate. It had been so long that someone took genuine interest in her and seemed to care. All she wanted in that moment was to go back to her house, have Blaine clean her up, and just fall asleep next to him. It was a simple, yet entirely perfect fantasy.

Her fantasy was shattered with a shake of his head. "I can't," Blaine said sadly, "I've got stuff to do after school." Blaine pressed an uncharacteristic kiss to her forehead and pulled back with that same strange look on his face, half different, half closed off. "I'll stop by after okay?" Rachel only nodded the feeling from before carried off with the wind of the day. She didn't watch him as he walked away; she knew it hurt even more that way. Even though he wasn't going far and would come back soon, it didn't change that he had walked away from her, deciding there was something more important. Rachel supposed she was used to that.

Everyone walked away and only sometimes did they come back.