Title: Heaven
Pairings: Faberrittana.
Summary: When they were still children, it used to be Q, R, S and B. But now that they are in high school, they are known as The Unholy Trinity and Rachel Berry. Rachel, feeling abandoned by her best friends, tried to move on with a positive outlook. The Unholy Trinity, fed up with the guilt and the ache of missing Rachel, finally decided to mend their broken friendship with the girl. Separated by their differences, will they be able to get back how they used to be? What if the Unholy Trinity wanted more than just friendship from Rachel?
Disclaimer: Glee is not mine.
Q/R/S/B/Q/R/S/B/Q/R/S/B
Chapter 15
"Holy fuck."
"Language."
"I can't fucking believe it."
Eye roll. "I know."
"That's just...wow. I can't even find the words."
"I know."
"But they kind of left you because of that."
"I know."
"And now..."
"Mmhhh..."
"Fucking hypocrites."
"Hey. Watch it."
"It's true. And it's even worse. The three of them? Together? Really? I mean, at least you've always been single."
"Ugh. Really, Al?"
"How does that make you feel?"
Rachel sighed. She had told Alex about the girls once she got home after beating the crap out of Finn two days ago. However, it seemed like the other brunette was far from letting it go.
It was already Monday. Alex spent the weekends with her and had never stopped bugging her about it. She woke up that morning to see her friend already preparing breakfast. Rachel had enjoyed the silence until Alex spoke up. She wasn't really surprised when the barista started their morning with a 'holy fuck.' Alex was just as shocked as she probably was, if not more.
"I'm not really sure," Rachel replied. She really wasn't. Since Saturday, her emotions had been all over the place. She tossed and turned in her bed for two nights now. What was she supposed to feel? She was angry and sad and feeling pathetic. But most of all, she was confused out of her wit. The bitterness that she had let bottled up for so long finally coming out of the surface and it was in full force. She hated it. But did that still matter now? It wouldn't really make much of a difference. And after so long, she wasn't really sure if the girls would even care. Why would they anyway?
But then again, the way the girls had acted around her these past few weeks was what's making her confuse as hell. They had been nice to her. Actually, they had gone out of their way to be nice to her. And they apologized and even asked for reconciliation.
Was it also their way of saying 'sorry for abandoning you for being gay when we are just as gay as you are'?
Rachel rolled her eyes at her line of thought. However, it wasn't really far from reality. Not after what she had witnessed. And with that realization, she dreaded seeing the girls because, really, she didn't think she could meet their eyes without feeling awkward and embarrassed and just plain hateful. She didn't know she was actually capable of hating them as much as she did now.
And it sucked because she knew that no matter how mad she was right now, she could never hate them forever. That's just not possible.
"Well, I still think it's hot."
Rachel groaned. She couldn't believe how much Alex reminded her of Puck sometimes.
Hearing the diva, Alex raised her hands in defense, "Hey. Don't get me wrong. I still don't like them but it doesn't mean I don't appreciate them like that. If you know what I mean," she said, wiggling her brows with a smirk on her lips.
Ugh. That's just so...Puck-ish.
"I'm going to go take a shower and get ready for school." Rachel stood up and left the kitchen.
Q/R/S/B/Q/R/S/B/Q/R/S/B
"Alexandra Katherine Fields!"
Alex couldn't help but laugh from across the guest room at that. She had been looking forward to this since Saturday and stayed until today to make sure she could see Rachel personally. With an amused smile, she walked out of the room towards the diva's.
"Yes, Rach?" Alex asked, innocence lacing her voice with a bat of her eyelashes to make it more effective. She bit her inner cheek to keep herself from laughing at the horrified and panicky look on her friend's face.
"How—where—what happened to my clothes?" Rachel shrieked as she stared at the barista, not really sure if she should be mad or just confused. She hadn't visited her closet since Friday since most of her house clothes were located in the other drawer. Because of all the commotion going on in her mind, she had totally forgotten about the small fact that Alex had raided her closet the other day, especially after finding her room clean once she got home.
"You call those...things, clothes? Really, Rachel?" Alex sighed, looking at her friend incredulously. "I was hoping you'd one day wake up and throw them away yourselves."
"You threw them away?" Rachel asked, her voice sounding more like a whine than angry. "But why? I told you why I wear those…things."
Alex rolled her eyes, crossing her arms over her chest with a frown, "Come on, Rach. When are you going to put a stop to that? It's your third year in high school. You will be graduating soon. Do you want your memories in high school full of slushies hitting your face and people kicking your ass?"
"Of course not! I—"
"But that's what you're doing! You're letting them step on you like some piece of trash! What the fuck is the matter with you? You are such a fucking coward! Weak!"
"Shut up!"
"Seriously. You used to be in a fight club! You have a reputation for kicking ass! And you can't even defend yourself against a bunch of high school kids?! That's bullshit!"
Rachel was now fuming, her lips pressed in a thin line, her nose flaring, her fists clenched on her sides.
"No wonder you can't get a girl to like you. You can't even stand up for yourself in school! How are those idiots going to respect you?"
"Stop!"
"What about Quinn? And Santana? And Brittany? Are you going to just let them do that to you? They were supposed to be your friends!"
"Enough already!"
"Don't be such a chicken and grow a pair already!"
"Fine! Fine! I will!"
"That's the spirit!"
"In fact, I will go to that school, march down those halls with my head high like I could care less with that stupid hierarchy!"
"Yeah!"
"And then I will show those girls what they're missing!"
"Show 'em!"
"And then I will crush that slushie machine and throw it in the football field in front of those stupid jocks and bitchy cheerleaders!"
"Whoa."
"And then if someone tries to get in my way, I will punch them in the face, break every bone in their body and stuffed them in the closet to rot!"
"..."
The two brunettes looked at each other in silence. Alex's eyebrows rose to her hairline, her eyes wide and unblinking. Rachel was breathing hard from her sudden outburst.
"Well, that was...interesting. Violent but interesting. I'm quite impressed." Alex commented, her face breaking into a grin.
"Are you happy now?" Rachel deadpanned, her arms crossed.
"Ecstatic. Now try on those real clothes. I picked them especially for you."
"You're insufferable."
"You love me. And you're welcome, honey," Alex gave the diva a wink before leaving the room.
Q/R/S/B/Q/R/S/B/Q/R/S/B
The Unholy Trinity had just finished their daily routine of marching down the halls to remind everybody why they were at the top. And as they passed by Rachel's locker, they were quite surprised that the singer wasn't there yet like she usually was. Quinn intended to wait for the diva to arrive. She wasn't surprised when her two girlfriends silently stayed as well. They all have the same intention after al.
Quinn shuffled nervously on her locker, holding her book tightly against her chest. Santana was standing on her right, leaning casually against the metal while Brittany was busily ruffling inside her own locker.
The Head Cheerio could see right through them. Santana may look cool on the outside, but the blonde knew she was just as nervous as she was by the way her eyes kept on shifting from her nails to the entrance of the school. Brittany seemed to be as anxious as she opened her locker for the fifth time only to close it again, empty handed.
They had been restless since Saturday. Quinn had argued with her girlfriends because she wanted to visit Rachel before today. She was desperate for the diva to hear her out but Santana and Brittany wouldn't let her, afraid that it might only trigger the diva more.
Their attention was caught when the hallway was filled with silent whispers, the crowd staring at the school double door entrance. The trio followed the eyes of the crowd and what they saw had their jaw dropping.
Down the hallway was Rachel Berry—in a black wife beater covered by a leather jacket paired with ripped jeans and boots. Her hand was holding the strap of her messenger bag while the other was clutching on her helmet. Her hair wasn't in its usual straight style and her bangs were gone. Instead, there were long soft curls at the end of her hair. Her eyeliner was darker than usual, her makeup lighter, making her look mature and just gorgeous. The diva seemed to not give a care that everyone was gaping at her as she walked towards her locker, her eyes forward, and chin up.
"Jesus fucking Christ."
Quinn didn't even bother to chastise her Latina girlfriend for using the Lord's name in vain as she was too busy gawking at the sexy brunette that just passed by them without even a glance in their direction.
It wasn't about the clothes since they had seen Rachel without the ridiculously short skirt and argyle sweaters before.
But Jesus, the girl was radiating confidence all over the place that could challenge their own, the Unholy Trinity.
And they didn't even mind. Not at all. In fact, they found it hot. Like, worth drooling hot. And that was exactly what they were doing now—openly gawking and drooling at Rachel freaking Berry, right in front of everyone. And for once, they didn't find themselves caring at all.
"Hey Berry!"
An angry voice called out from the far end of the hallway that sounded a lot like Finn Hudson, causing for the Rachel-induced-daze to falter and the attention of the crowd turned to Finn's direction.
Quinn groaned and rolled her eyes as she watched her ex-boyfriend, flanked by Azimio and Karofsky, each holding a slushie, marched towards Rachel who was pointedly ignoring the oaf, keeping her head inside her locker. From her sides, she could feel Santana and Brittany stiffened.
As the three jocks neared the tiny brunette, Quinn attempted to step forward to stop them but she froze on her spot when Karofsky somehow lost his balance, causing him to spill his slushie on Finn's back.
"Dude! What the hell?!"
"Sorry man! This bitch pushed me!" Karofsky exclaimed as he pointed to the brunette behind him who was leaning on a locker, looking bored as she inspected her nails.
The unknown brunette scoffed, "Pleas. Don't be such a baby. You were about to throw a slushie at someone. I just tripped you. What are you whining about?"
"Is that..." Brittany trailed off as she watched the scene in front.
"Alex, don't pick a fight on your first day. Your parents had gone through a lot of trouble for you to be able to enroll in the middle of the semester. Please refrain from getting expelled and put their efforts in vain. This is your final year so I would appreciate it if you would behave yourself. At least until the end of the year."
"Yes, mother." Alex muttered, the corner of her lips twitching upward before pushing herself off the locker.
Rachel rolled her eyes, "Come now. I'll walk you to your first class...And probably to all of your classes to make sure you attend them," she turned on her heels and began walking towards the classroom, a grumbling Alex right behind her.
"Hey! You can't ignore us like that!" Finn snapped to the two brunette's direction but they kept walking without looking back.
"They just did, you idiot." Quinn muttered, sending the tall jock a glare, her HBIC face on.
"Congratulations Finnept. Thanks to your amazing leadership, you just successfully made a fool of yourselves in front of the whole school. Hooray." Santana commented, her voice filled with sarcasm, her smile taunting as she mockingly clapped.
Finn fumed, his face red with anger and embarrassment. "Shut up you little sl—"
"Ah. Ah. Ah," Brittany chastised, waving her index finger in front of Finn, "Do you want to get slapped again, Hudson?"
"Shut up bi—"
"I will slap you again, Finn!" Quinn snapped, "Don't push it. I'll probably do worse than that after what you did to Rachel."
"Why are you on her side all of a sudden?! You never cared for her before! She's a homosexual freak and she's going to hell with her gay dads!"
SPLASH!
Gasps were heard from the crowd followed by a deafening silence.
Santana and Quinn gaped at Brittany who had grabbed Azimio's cup in a flash and threw it against Finn.
"You homophobic, narrow-minded, good for nothing, son of a bitch. It's really sad that people like you exist in this world." Brittany seethed, her voice low, filled with coldness. Without waiting for a reply, she turned her back and walked away.
"Better watch your back, Hudson." Santana warned before running after her girlfriend.
Quinn stepped forward towards Finn, their body only inches apart as she fixed him the coldest, menacing glare she could muster. "If you think I would ever get back to you, you're delusional." A stab on his chest. "I don't want you getting near me again. I don't even want to see you. Better stay out of my way, Finn." Quinn stepped closer to the jock and whispered, "Because I will hurt you."
Finn faltered backward, his back hitting the lockers. He swallowed visibly as he cowered underneath the intense glare he was receiving from the Head Cheerio despite his huge height advantage. He released his breath once Quinn stepped out of his personal space, his body sagged when the Cheerio began to walk away.
"Oh," Quinn stopped and glanced over her shoulder, smiling sweetly as Finn stiffened, "And stay away from Rachel. We made her off limits, remember? Don't make me remind you again, Finn."
Q/R/S/B/Q/R/S/B/Q/R/S/B
"Of all the schools in Ohio, why does she have to come in McKinley?" Santana grumbled, stabbing her salad with a fork with a somber look on her face.
"To keep Rachel close, I suppose." Quinn answered, pursing her lips in annoyance as she not so subtly glare at the table on the corner of the cafeteria where the Gleeks were seated at. Alex seemed to have had charmed them already. Quinn couldn't help but narrow her eyes when she saw Alex whispered to Rachel's ear, making the diva laugh.
"And to keep an eye on Rachel," Brittany said as she popped a grape in her mouth.
"That too," Quinn muttered while Santana rolled her eyes.
"...And probably to make sure we don't get near her," the tall blonde added, her lips sporting a pout, "I mean...they're really close so I guess it's normal for Alex to be protective of Rachel."
Quinn and Santana visibly sagged. Because, yeah, it sucked that they were considered a danger to the tiny brunette. And it sucked even more that there was no one else to blame but themselves.
"This fucking sucks. Rachel hates us even more now."
"I know."
"Come on guys. How are we going to have Rachel back if we'll just mope around and feel bad about what happened? I know things look really messed up right now...and we have probably consumed all of Rachel's kindness and not deserve to be forgiven because we treat her so bad for so long—"
"Wow. That's really encouraging, B," Quinn deadpanned.
"—But...it's not too late," she paused, her face thoughtful, "I think. Our chances of getting Rachel are probably close to none but...are we just going to give up like that? Isn't Rachel worth more than that? I mean, I don't know if you've realized it but we haven't really done much since that night at Santana's."
Santana and Quinn were silent as they wondered what they had already done for the diva and sighed when they realized that Brittany was right. They had done almost nothing to redeem themselves and yet, here they were moping and complaining about how much the situation sucked for them.
"You're right, Britt," Quinn nodded with determination in her eyes, "It's time for us to really suck it up and do something really worth it for Rachel."
Santana shook her head in agreement, a smirk on her lips while Brittany smiled in excitement.
"So," Santana drawled, "where do we start then?"
Their silence was disrupted with another round of loud laughter coming from the Gleek's table, glaring as they saw Alex talking animatedly with the group who seemed to be caught victim under the barista's charm.
And then Quinn grinned, a glint in her hazel eyes, "I think I have an idea exactly where to start."
Q/R/S/B/Q/R/S/B/Q/R/S/B
Mr. Schuester was in his office, grinning goofily as he typed a cheesy message to Ms. Pillsbury when the three top cheerleaders barged in his office without knocking.
"We want to audition."
Mr. Schue stared at the Head Cheerio with his mouth open, his phone forgotten. "Sorry?"
"We want to audition," Santana repeated, with a tone that said 'duh'.
"For Glee!" Brittany added, bouncing on her feet as she excitedly clapped her hands.
"Really?" Mr. Schue asked, his wide in disbelief.
Quinn smiled sweetly, "See you in Glee, Mr. Schue."
Q/R/S/B/Q/R/S/B/Q/R/S/B
Rachel walked towards the choir room with Alex, Kurt and Tina, laughing at a joke that Alex had said. But her laughter died down, her face showing complete shock which quickly morphed in to indifference as she stared at the additional occupants in the room. Sitting there, quietly talking to themselves were Quinn, Santana and Brittany. They stopped talking once their eyes turned to Rachel.
Brittany offered a small hesitant smile while Quinn and Santana just stared back, their HBIC mask on—the mask that Rachel had no problem ripping off, seeing through the facade that the girls were trying to put on. She could see the nervousness and discomfort from Quinn's subtle playing of her skirt with her fingers, to Santana's clenched fists on her sides to Brittany's shy smile. Rachel could see all of it. And it felt good.
It's not like every day you could make the great Unholy Trinity squirm no matter how subtle it may be in front of other people. From the way they were looking at her, Rachel knew that it was her that's causing them to be that way.
Oh, how the tables had turned.
Not wanting to be impolite while ignoring the wild beating of her heart and the excitement that came along with the idea that the trio might be there to join the club—that she really didn't want to feel, by the way—she had offered a slight, barely there, stiff nod of her head to acknowledge the presence of the three Cheerios who was still staring at her before walking further inside the room. The last thing she wanted was to make it obvious just how much she was affected by them.
She sat beside Puck who winked at her when she gave him a quick kiss on his cheek. Alex sat beside her, placing a comforting hand on her lap, aware of how tensed she had become while the rest of the club was just as oblivious at the sudden tension.
Rachel was doing her best not to look. She really did. But it was difficult when they were right there. She could practically feel their eyes on her. She didn't want to assume but she had always trusted her sixth sense. They were looking at her. And she got her confirmation when she tried to steal a glance only to be caught by Quinn who was just doing the same thing. Rachel quickly looked away, doing her best to stop the burning feeling on her cheeks.
Must. Not. Look.
Rachel told herself that like a mantra. She tried to distract herself by making random conversation with the other Gleeks except they were too busy formulating different hypothesis on why the meanest, bitchiest girls that had ever walked on McKinley were now sitting in the same room and breathing the same air as them. Rachel rolled her eyes with a groan and crossed her arms. She didn't miss the amused smile playing on Alex's lips.
"I'd appreciate it if you would at least share as to what you are smiling about."
The smile turned to a smirk as Alex turned her eyes on the diva and shrugged, "It's just funny how you are trying so hard not to be bothered by them. I bet its killing you not to be able to directly walk to them and ask them as to why they are here."
"Shut up."
Just then the door slammed open, revealing a grumpy Finn. He stopped on his tracks as he noticed the additional trio in the room, the reason why his shirt was covered with red, purple and blue stain. He had been a target for the whole day that he had run out of a change of shirt. "What are you doing here?" he asked, spite in his voice.
"Not that it's any of your business," Quinn replied with the same venom as him.
"I bet Coach Sylvester sent you here to destroy our club," Finn accused, pointing a finger at the Cheerios. "I mean, why else would you want to risk being seen with these losers—"
"Hey!"
"—unless you have something to gain. That's all you're good at any way. Ruin things."
The room was engulfed with an awkward silence filled with tension. None of the kids moved despite the fact that their teammate had just insulted them. They were far too curious as to how the Cheerios would react at the accusations and to finally know the reason as to why the top bitches had decided to show up all of a sudden.
"We don't need to explain anything to any of you," Santana began, her voice surprisingly calm, "But for the sake of clearing things up, we had been planning to join the club a while back. It was just postponed due to some...circumstances that we couldn't avoid."
Rachel definitely caught how the Latina had side-eyed her at the mention of 'circumstances'.
"I'm sure Rachel mentioned that at one of your meetings before. Unfortunately, we weren't able to come to our supposed-to-be-audition that day," Brittany explained, "And things got a bit complicated and we were too preoccupied with some stuff that it had taken us this long to come."
Another side-eye glance at Rachel, this time from the tall blonde.
"And so now, here we are. Ready to join the club. Rachel could be very persuasive."
"You mean annoying." Finn grumbled.
"Shut your face, Giant," Santana spat, surprising everyone in the room.
Rachel didn't want to assume that Santana was defending her but she couldn't ignore how her heart soared from that and as much as she didn't want to believe that she was the reason the girls joined, she could still feel the warmth spread through her body. She tried to maintain passive though because, well, she was supposed to hate them.
From the corner of her eyes, Rachel could see the Cheerios standing and gathering their bags before walking towards the direction of the exit. The diva frowned, pressing her lips together as she tried her best to keep a poker face, ignoring the dropping of her heart as she watched the girls disappear out of the door, without looking back.
"What the hell was that?" Kurt voiced out everyone's thought.
There was a couple of murmurs, Mercedes and Kurt taking the lead as different assumptions were thrown here and there as to why the Cheerios broke their own social rules and actually stepped in to the forbidden world of loserdome. And why they had just up and leave all of a sudden.
"You think they really plan on joining Glee? Rachel?" Kurt asked, bothered and curious at the diva's silence.
"I don't know. Why are you asking me?"
"Well, they did say it was you who 'encouraged' them to join," Mercedes joined in.
Rachel shrugged, ignoring how Mercedes gave emphasis on the word encourage as if she wasn't capable of doing that without annoying the hell out of people. "I'm not really sure. As you all know, we're not really the best of friends to know how or what they are thinking." She really tried not to show her bitterness. She really did.
But the snort coming from Alex seemed to tell her how much she had failed at that.
Mr. Schue entered the room, clapping his hands to get everyone's attention.
"Guys! I have great news! We finally have enough members to join the competition!"
Somehow, Rachel had no idea why she was still having a hard time believing that despite what happened earlier. "But Mr. Schue, we only have one new member, Alex, who is yet to audition," Rachel said then turned to her friend, "Not that I have doubts," then went back to Mr. Schue, "That means we still need two more in order for us to compete at Regionals."
Mr. Schue grinned, "Actually, not only are we filling up those two slots, but we'll also be gaining an extra member!"
Before any more questions could be fired up, the Unholy Trinity entered the room. Gone was the Cheerios uniform, replaced with casual clothes, their hair free from their usual tight ponytail. The other Glee kids didn't have the problem to show their shock while Rachel only managed to take a deep breath in an attempt to calm her beating heart.
No. She wasn't excited. She wasn't feeling giddy. She wasn't happy to see them here because seeing them standing in front and ready to perform had sealed it. They were joining the club.
No. No. No. Just...Ugh. She had to bite the inside of her cheeks to stop the mega watt smile that was threatening to come out.
"Guys, let's give a round of applause for the Unholy Trinity!"
Rachel still couldn't believe what she was seeing. Yes, she had tried so many times to persuade the girls to join the club—no pun intended— as she believed that their talent was more than just shaking pompoms while shouting encouraging words to a team that never really wins. Granted, they were champions in the cheering field. But still.
She had tried so many times and that one time that they agreed, they didn't even show up. Rachel still couldn't forget how embarrassed she was that the club didn't stop teasing her for about a week. It was then that she decided to stop altogether. She stopped hoping. She stopped expecting that one of these days, the girls would decide to step foot in to the choir room like they own the place and announce their interest in joining the club with their head high, hands on their hips as if screaming to give your attention to them while they talk.
And nowthat things were twice as complicated and awkward, they decided to step in to her world. Why did it have to be now? Now that she wanted to stop caring? To actually try to stop feeling for them. To start getting them out of her system.
It was funny how ironic things were. Except, she couldn't find herself laughing. At all.
The girls' change of clothes made her feel nostalgic. It's been a while since she had seen them off of their uniform in school. It made her think about their freshmen year as the four of them stepped foot on the halls of McKinley for the first time together.
Before the social ladder tore them apart.
The trio turned their backs from their audience. As the music began, the girls began to move their hips with the tune, turning around as Quinn's voice rang through the room, snapping Rachel back to reality.
Oh oh oh... Oh oh oh oh oh...
I've been crying' (Oh oh)
Cause I'm lonely (For you)
Smiles have all turned (To tears)
But tears won't wash away the fears (Oh oh)
The trio smiled as they saw the nods of approval from the other Gleeks although it wasn't their approval they were aiming for. They searched the audience and their eyes fell on one tiny diva who seemed so nonchalant about everything. The three shared a meaningful look but continued to prove themselves. They just had to step it up a bit.
That you're never ever gonna return (Eh eh eh eh eh)
To ease the fire that within me burns (Eh eh eh eh eh)
It keeps me (Crying baby for you)
Keeps me (Sighin' baby for you)
Quinn took a step forward, her hips swaying as she locked eyes with Rachel, making sure to maintain the eye contact as they sang the lyrics.
So won't you hurry?
Come on boy, see about me (Come see about me)
See about you baby (Come see about me)
I've given up my friends just (For you)
My friends are gone and you (Have too)
No peace shall I find (Oh oh)
Until you come back And be mine (Oh oh)
Rachel sat up straight, her body rigid as she shifted her eyes from left to right. Was it just her? Or was this a bit awkward with all the eyeing that the girls were doing as they perform their number? Rachel looked around and most of the members seemed to be oblivious, simply enjoying the show.
Except maybe for Alex who Rachel could feel rolling her eyes.
Rachel couldn't blame her. Heck, even she was confused. What the hell was going on? She wasn't even sure if the trio were actually looking at her. She was sat at the middle front after all. But then again, she had met with Quinn's eyes more than twice and when she tried to look away, she was met by either Brittany's or Santana's who was just giving her the same look as the Head Cheerio.
...It was as if they were singing to her.
Just...what the hell?
"There's only so much eye-fucking I could take," Alex muttered.
Rachel snapped her head at her side so quick she might have a whiplash, her eyes wide as if she had been discovered doing something she wasn't supposed to. She opened her mouth to say something but shut them tight the moment she saw the annoying smirk on Alex's face. She huffed and crossed her arms, scolding herself for acting defensive for something she didn't do.
"Shut up."
"Can't blame them though. You look fucking hot with those tight jeans," Alex whispered on Rachel's ears, causing the girl to blush.
Alex whimpered when she felt Rachel's elbow hit her side.
"Shut up," Rachel repeated between gritted teeth, feeling a bit more uncomfortable now than a few minutes ago. She rolled her eyes when Alex only chuckled and kissed her cheek.
The corner of Rachel's lips quirk a little, trying her best to hide the smile at the sweet gesture. For a moment, she wondered why she couldn't just love the girl beside her instead. It would make her life a lot better. Easier.
But then she made the mistake of looking back at the performing trio and her heart leaped.
And that was her answer.
Some things were just the way they were. It wasn't something she could control no matter how much she tried. The feeling was just there. All. The. Freaking. Time.
Rachel frowned when she noticed the relaxed and carefree faces of the girls in front turned sour all of a sudden. She was so far up in her head that she didn't notice that the show was over and the trio were now throwing daggers at...Alex.
Huh?
"So, what do you think, Rachel?"
What?
"I apologize, Mr. Schue. I must have missed some of what you have just said. If you could please repeat that so I can provide you a more thorough answer to your question."
"Umm...right. I was just asking what you think about the girls' performance."
Rachel cleared her throat. What was she supposed to say? Of course the girls weren't as talented as she was but growing up with them, Rachel was very familiar with the trio's potential and how amazing they were. But could she really say that without getting carried away? With her being verbose and all.
"It was," amazing, "okay. There's still some parts that needed improvement but then again, they don't have the same extensive training that I have so I'm not really expecting much." Rachel sealed her lips tight when she noticed the reaction of the girls. Quinn had her infamous eyebrow raise, Santana was looking at her in disbelief with her mouth slightly open and Brittany was damn pouting.
Rachel cleared her throat again, "Anyway, thank you for auditioning..." she paused slightly, chewing on her lip as if contemplating on her next words, "but I'm pretty sure you guys don't belong here," she regretted those words the moment she said it. For some reason, it tasted bitter even from her lips but she ignored it. She had to keep it together. "True, we are short in members right now, but I'm pretty sure there are some people out there who are willing to join the club without any ulterior motives." Again, that stupid dropping of her stomach in a not so good way. "And I'm sure you couldn't blame me for not trusting you."
'Ouch.' Alex mouthed, placing a hand on her chest in mock hurt while making sure that the girls were looking at her. Her grin almost split her face in half when she got the reaction she was aiming for.
Silence engulfed the room as all eyes turned to Rachel in disbelief.
"Are you being serious right now?" Kurt broke the silence.
Rachel tried to open her mouth but was interrupted by Mr. Schue.
"Now, Rachel, I know you guys have your differences but I don't think it's fair to reject them just because of personal reasons. I expected more from you than that."
Rachel pressed her lips together, feeling ashamed of her own actions. She knew it was low and she was trying really hard not to feel bad at the heartbroken faces of the girls but it was hard enough avoiding the three of them in the hallway. What's going to happen if the trio were about to spend extra hours in school, singing and dancing with the rest of the club? The chance of her working together with them was really high. They were a team (now) after all. She wasn't really sure she could trust herself around them. They had always been her weakness.
Before an apology slipped out of her mouth, Alex interrupted her.
"I'm pretty sure you don't know just how personal it is, Mr. Curly Hair."
There was a collective of snickers from the class and Mr. Schue frowned, narrowing his eyes at the brunette, "And you are?"
Alex smirked, noticing how the trio tensed up at her comment only to have it wiped away with Rachel's 'shut up' glare.
Oopps. She forgot she was supposed to pretend she doesn't know anything. Oh well. She couldn't help it. It was fun seeing the girls' cool and calm demeanor crumble.
"You did not just."
Or...maybe it wasn't as fun if you have a growling tiny diva sitting beside you.
"I'm Alexandra Katherine Fields, former co-captain of Vocal Adrenaline," Alex introduced, ignoring the collective gasps from the Glee kids. She might have forgotten to tell them that part when Rachel introduced her, "until I realized what a total bullshit it was to co-lead a bunch of bitches and assholes," Alex turned to the girls in front, "who think that crashing and hurting other people was the best way to show everyone who's on top and boost their ego when the truth is, they are just scared because they know there are people who are way better than them," she finished with a satisfied smile when she saw the faces of the Cheerios darkened. She was pretty sure she heard Rachel took a deep breath before mumbling 'Oh God'.
Wow. Rachel was totally killing her fun.
"O...kay," Mr. Schue attempted to break the awkward silence as he looked back and forth at Alex and the Cheerios who were now having a staring contest. He cleared his throat loudly, catching some of the attention and clasped his hands together, his eyes turning to Alex, "Right. Okay. So...I guess you're here to audition as well?"
"Sure thing." Alex stood up, looked over her shoulders and winked at the diva, "This is for you babe."
"Alright. The floor is all yours."
The Cheerios reluctantly gave way to the brunette who seemed to be silently laughing at them with her eyes. There was a five second silence as the four girls sized each other up, the other Gleeks finally being aware of just how much tension there was between them. With a huff from Quinn, an eye roll from the Latina and a failed attempt of intimidation from Brittany by pointing her fingers at her narrowed eyes then to Alex as if to say 'I'm watching you' to which Alex replied with a smirk and a wink, they finally took their seats.
Alex held the microphone and motioned for the band to start playing, her eyes wearing a playful glow as they locked with Rachel's.
The day I first met you
You told me you'd never fall in love
But now that I get you
I know fear is what it really was
Alex didn't fail to produce a chuckle from the diva and relieved washed through her. She could feel the tension from Rachel's body and made it her goal to make her relax. This song wasn't really the one she wanted to sing but seeing Rachel's face lit up, she didn't really care much about showing off. This song was significant for the both of them in a funny way. Alex couldn't forget her failed attempt to pick up a girl that had caught her attention through this song.
That girl happened to be one Rachel Berry.
Now here we are,
So close yet so far.
Haven't I passed the test?
When will you realize,
Baby, I'm not like the rest?
Alex made sure to gesture her hands towards the direction of the Cheerios with a taunting grin.
"Fucking bitch," Santana muttered under her breath as she watched Alex perform. "I will be forced to strangle her one of these days and I will not be held responsible for my actions."
Don't wanna break your heart
Wanna give your heart a break
I know you're scared it's wrong
Like you might make a mistake
There's just one life to live
And there's no time to waste, to waste
So let me give your heart a break, give your heart a break
Let me give your heart a break, your heart a break
There's just so much you can take
Give your heart a break
Let me give your heart a break, your heart a break
Oh yeah, yeah
"Or maybe we should just kill her now," Quinn said between her teeth as they watched Alex kneeled in front of Rachel and took her hands.
On Sunday you went home alone
There were tears in your eyes
I called your cell phone, my love
But you did not reply
The world is ours. If we want it,
We can take it if you just take my hand.
There's no turning back now.
Baby, try to understand
"This is depressing. It's making me a really sad panda," Brittany pouted, "This isn't what I expected. I thought Rachel would be happy to see us here."
Alex finished her performance with a bow before throwing a knowing smirk on the direction of the trio. Santana subtly gave her the finger by scratching her eyebrow while Quinn sneered at her. Brittany still had that damn pout.
Seeing the heated exchange, Rachel grabbed Alex and pulled her to sit beside her. She still planned on giving her friend a piece of her mind because of her obvious motive to make the girls uncomfortable which, in turn, was making her uncomfortable too. She wasn't supposed to say a word to anyone about the trio but Alex was her closest friend. Plus, she would totally explode if she wasn't able to at least let out some of the bad feelings she had and Alex just happened to be her outlet. They couldn't take that against her.
It's just too bad that Alex could be incorrigible at times. Alex just loved teasing people without caring about the boundaries. It kind of reminded Rachel of Santana. Except, Alex was less hostile.
"Wow. That was amazing, Alex. Thank you and welcome to New Directions," Mr. Schue said before turning to the three Cheerios, "Quinn, Brittany, Santana, thank you for giving Glee club I try. Welcome to our family."
Cheers and applause filled the room as the kids welcomed Alex and, though a bit reluctant, the cheerleaders as well since they didn't really have much choice.
The girls only bothered to give a polite smile and nod since they were too busy watching Rachel jumped excitedly as she wrapped her arms around Alex's neck and pulled her in to a hug.
They'll be honest. That was the reaction they were hoping to get from the diva. Not...this. And despite the warm welcome from the other Gleeks—which was a real surprise to them— they still felt like they didn't belong there. They could still feel how the kids were trying to keep their distance from them. Not that they could blame them. But whatever awkward feeling they were having right now, they would endure it.
Because Rachel was worth it. She always had been.
Q/R/S/B/Q/R/S/B/Q/R/S/B
Rachel stole a sideway glance at the three cheerleaders. Somehow, the three of them looked so out of place being there. So small. Their usual confidence had gone and was replaced by uncertainty. Rachel could see it perfectly. And for a moment there, she actually felt bad about her words earlier.
Only for a moment.
But then she remembered everything they had put her through which was why the moment they were dismissed, she quickly gathered her stuff and made a beeline for the door. She was surprised when she felt a hand gently grabbed her arm but she was even more surprised when she came face to face with none other than Quinn Fabray.
"Can we talk?"
Rachel pressed her lips together. She was torn between slapping the hand that was on her arm away or giving in because Quinn sounded so small when she asked that question. Her eyes traveled down to where Quinn's hand was in contact with her arm and she tried to ignore the disappointment when Quinn let go.
"Is there a problem here?"
Thank God for Alex.
"There is. Now that you're here," Quinn replied irritably.
Alex scoffed, "From what I can see, you're the unwanted presence here."
Quinn narrowed her eyes, her face hardening with anger. She took a step forward but was held back by Santana and Brittany.
"Q, now isn't the right time."
"Let's just go home, Quinn. We could do this some other time," Brittany whispered to their Captain's ear.
Quinn visibly relaxed but her face remained guarded. Without a word, she passed by Rachel and Alex, making sure to shoulder pass Alex on her way out, Brittany and Santana in tow who each gave Rachel a smile while completely ignoring Alex.
Quinn reached for the door knob and stopped, looking over her shoulder at Rachel before offering a small smile.
"We'll talk to you soon, Rachel."
And Rachel was stupefied at how much it sounded like a promise.
Q/R/S/B/Q/R/S/B/Q/R/S/B
Author's Note:
I'm not really sure where to start apologizing for taking so long to update. I'll just keep it simple. I'm sorry. I really am. I finally have a job but it's eating up most of my time that I barely have the time to do anything else. I only have one day off per week so it's hard to find time to relax and do some writing. So, again, I'm sorry.
Of course, I would like to thank you for staying and continuing to support this story despite the slight delay on the update. Thank you for the reviews and PMs. Thank you for having faith. Whoever is saying that this story is abandoned, ignore them. They're probably just bored out of their wits. I have no plans of abandoning this story especially if there are loyal readers out there who never grew tired of supporting this fic.
And IF ever I plan on abandoning this story or being on hiatus—which I don't, by the way—but IF I ever will, I will give you a heads up. You guys deserve at least that. But for now, it's probably just going to be a slow update while I try to balance everything between my work, family, friends and other stuff.
Sorry for not putting much effort on the singing part. I just wanted to get it over with. I hope it didn't look rushed...even if it is. :p So yeah. Sorry if I ruined that for you.
The songs are Come See About Me by The Supremes (also performed by the Unholy Trinity) and Give Your Heart a Break by Demi Lovato.
And I have also decided to give Alex a face. I was actually choosing between Emily Fields from PPL and Katherine Pierce from Vampire Diaries. But since, in my opinion, Katherine's character was hotter and more Alex-like and I read a review mentioning about her, I chose Katherine.
So, again, do drop me a review. Opinions, criticisms are well appreciated.