A/N: I am overwhelmed by the alerts and favorites for this story. It's gratifying as a new author. I will try to incorporate constructive suggestions. Thank you! The usual disclaimers apply.
Chapter 3
Rachel stared at her phone, willing it to ring or chime with a response from Quinn. She waited impatiently for ten minutes before throwing her phone at the couch in frustration. Grabbing a blanket, she curled into a ball of misery on the cushions. Everything was changing so quickly. She had gone from being a loser to having friends and a wonderful boyfriend to being in her favorite city living out her dreams. How had it all crashed so quickly? The boy she had loved was dead and the girl she had struggled so hard to be friends with had seemingly disappeared from her life. Rachel wanted to know why. She wanted to confront Quinn and get to the bottom of whatever it was that had caused this rift between them.
The phone pinged and Rachel almost fell off the couch trying to reach it. She glanced at the screen expecting to see a message from Quinn, but her heart sank when she saw that it was just a reminder from her calender. The core cast of Funny Girl was reading through the script that night to work on timing and dialogue. What should have been a moment of triumph for Rachel was overshadowed by her grief over Finn and her confusion over Quinn.
She looked over to the kitchen table where Santana was busy texting and muttering curses under her breath. The Latina stood up and began pacing the kitchen. The girl's phone rang a she held a terse, clipped conversation with the person on the other end.
"You can't do this! Of all the stupid things you've done, this is the dumbest. Don't you know how much this will hurt her? There was a pause as Santanna listened. "Bullshit! I get it, I really do, but wouldn't you rather be a part of her life? The other person was yelling through the phone. "Fine. I've got your back, even if I don't agree."
Rachel had been watching her roommate pace around the kitchen, flailing her hands and yelling. Wanting to know what was going on, she cocked her head and padded over to her friend.
"Everything okay, Santanna? You're not fighting with Dani are you?"
Santanna furrowed her brows at Rachel and set down her phone. "No chica, just someone I know being stupid. Dani and I are fine." How're you doing, Midget?"
Rachel smiled a little at the nickname, once said in disdain and now said with affection. "I'm doing as well as can be expected. I'm still numb from everything that's happened. I never thought that I would feel so broken about things in my life."
Santanna stood up and wrapped her arms around the little diva. Rachel buried her face in the taller brunette's shoulder and sniffled. Strong arms stroked her back gently. "I miss him too." Santanna said quietly. "I was always so mean to him. I never got to thank him or tell him what he meant to me."
Rachel raised her head to gaze into Santanna's teary eyes. She smiled sympathetically. "Finn knew you cared about him, Santanna. He cared about you too," Rachel soothed. "But don't change the subject. What's going on with you? Why were you so angry a minute ago?"
The little diva watched surprise, frustration, and guilt skirt over Santanna's face. The Latina tried to compose her expression, but it was too late, Rachel knew something was up. Santanna's reply did little to dissuade Rachel from her conclusion. "It's nothing, Hobbit. I'm just trying to talk a friend out of doing something stupid and completely self-destructive. She's being an idiota and I apparently can't stop it."
Rachel knew that she had to proceed with caution. "It must be someone close to you for you to be this upset," she said carefully.
Santanna glowered, "Ugh, I can't believe I'm a part of this!" The brunette wouldn't meet Rachel's gaze as she launched into her explanation. "A friend of mine is hurting and she's making the biggest mistake of her life. She's not going after something she wants. Instead, she's planning to ignore it and hope it goes away."
Rachel frowned and her eyebrows furrowed as she considered the problem. "Well from my own personal experience with you, you don't give up. Just don't give up on your friend. I'm sure she'll come around. Otherwise you might have to go all 'Lima Heights adjacent' right?" She grinned at Santanna, hoping that would calm the other girl's ire.
"Thanks, Rach. I'm just not sure it's that easy this time. Qu..my friend is about to do something that's going to cause herself a lot of pain down the road, and not just for her. I'm supposed to have her back and this time it's not going to be enough. I'll just have to pick up the pieces as usual." Santanna sighed.
The diva's ears perked up at Santanna's slip. She was almost certain that Santanna was talking about Quinn. "Maybe I can help. What exactly is your friend..." She was cut off as Kurt walked into the kitchen, his normally perfectly coiffed hair disheveled from his nap. He was frowning as he was reading something on his phone.
"Santanna! What the hell is up with..." Kurt stopped talking as he looked up and took in Rachel sitting at the kitchen table with the Latina. "Never mind," he spluttered, obviously taken off guard by the diva's presence. "So what are our plans today ladies? I don't have band rehearsal until later. Santanna, don't forget you're singing with us next week. We need to shake off some of this melancholy. Finn wouldn't want us to be so depressed."
Rachel allowed herself to be pulled into a discussion about touring the city, climbing the Empire State building, and going to Canal Street. Kurt and Santanna had decided that it would be the perfect day to throw off some of their sadness. Inwardly the diva was fuming. She knew that something was up with Quinn and her roommates. They were all involved in keeping something from her and she decided then and there to get to the bottom of things.
A/N: There you go! Rachel suspects something is wrong with Quinn. Stay tuned to see what happens. Will Quinn be moving on? How will Rachel get to the bottom of the conspiracy? Rate and review please. It helps the writing process!