I know a lot of you seemed to want to see more of Tina and Mercedes there, which I did not anticipate and this chapter's been written for a few weeks. I thought about writing it and changing up the chapters, but it'd screw up my writing schedule and I just don't have the time. Hope you're not too disappointed.
Chapter 17 – I Can Only Take So Much
"Here's a corner piece," Rachel said, sliding the puzzle piece in Beth's direction.
The little girl picked up the puzzle piece and put it into the section she was working on. Rachel continued searching for the pieces with red leaves, tossing Beth the pieces with bits of the cobblestone road. The television was on in the background, but neither of them was paying any attention to it. The only other noise in the apartment was Kurt cooking in the kitchen, occasionally bagging some pots and pans around. It was a peaceful Wednesday evening and Rachel was quite enjoying it.
"It should be ready in about thirty minutes," Kurt said, walking into the room.
"Well, it already smells wonderful," Rachel complimented.
She was happy he was cooking; she had worked the past six days and really didn't feel like doing it herself, but she thought they had been eating out far too much. It wasn't healthy for any of them, especially when they were eating pizza almost every other day. It was what Beth always wanted, though, and sometimes it was hard to say no to her.
"Would you like to help us?" Rachel asked.
"Okay, but I have to warn you that I've never been very good at them," Kurt said, sitting down at the other side of the table.
"How can you not be good at them?" Rachel asked. "You just put the puzzle pieces together."
"I can never find ones that match," Kurt replied. "I would always get frustrated and quit, so I stopped doing them."
Beth put a handful of her puzzle pieces in front of Kurt; she had been careful putting piles of similar looking pieces together for the past hour while slowly working on the road near the corner of the puzzle. Sometimes Rachel would just stop and watch the little girl work; she was very meticulous when it came to searching for and putting the pieces together. She wondered if this was something she did with Shelby because she appeared to have a system going.
"I found two that fit!" Kurt said excitedly.
Rachel laughed. "Only a thousand more to go now."
"Way to spoil my fun," Kurt replied with a frown.
Beth patted his hand and then quickly went back to what she was doing. Rachel had to laugh at the sight and shook her head, smiling. She enjoyed moments like this when it was just the three of them. Beth was always different when there was company around; not necessarily a bad different, but she was quieter. Of course she was always quiet, but it wasn't the same. At times like this, even if she didn't say anything, her personality still came through. When they had company, she was much more reserved.
Thankfully, things were getting back to normal after Mercedes and Tina's visit. When Kurt said they were only going to be there for a few days, he was wrong. They ended up staying for a week, which Rachel wouldn't have minded if it wasn't Mercedes that was there. If it was possible, she became more and more obnoxious as the days went on. Despite Kurt and Tina's best efforts to make Mercedes behave, by the end, Rachel was ready to throw her out and tell her to never come back. Needless to say, Rachel wasn't going to become friends with her any time soon, and she had no desire to ever see the other girl again. Tina, on the other hand, was a different story; they got along quite well and Rachel enjoyed their time together. Since they went back to Lima, Tina had actually sent her a few texts and they were going to try to keep in touch with one another.
"Another!" Kurt said, smiling widely. "This isn't so bad."
"Is that your phone?" Rachel asked when she heard something buzzing.
"Mine's in the bedroom," Kurt replied. "It must be yours."
Rachel looked around for her phone, but she couldn't remember where she put it. She tried to go toward the source of the noise, but it stopped vibrating before she could find it. She continued looking and after a few moments, whoever was calling, called again. This time, she found her phone shoved under the loveseat; she didn't know how it got there, but she guessed it must have fallen off from wherever she set it and it got kicked under it at some point.
She looked at the screen and saw Noah Puckerman on the display, so she accepted the call and began walking toward her room. "Hello."
"Hey," Puck replied. "Not interrupting anything, am I?"
"We were just working on a puzzle before dinner," Rachel replied.
"I was just calling to see if it'd be alright if I come this weekend," Puck said. "I know it's sorta short notice, but Burt's closing the garage this weekend because he's hired some guy to paint it or something like that, so he's giving us a few days off."
"I believe that would be fine," Rachel replied. "I should probably ask Kurt, but I'm not going to."
Puck laughed. "Why not?"
"Because Tina and Mercedes were here recently for a week and he failed to inform me of their impending arrival," Rachel replied.
"Mercedes still a bitch to you?" Puck asked.
Rachel sighed. "Unfortunately, yes; she has not changed at all and it was a very long week for me."
"Figured," Puck replied. "I ran into her earlier this month and she kept talking about all the things she's doin' in LA or wherever the hell she is now. To be honest, I wasn't listening very much. Anyway, I gotta go; I'm meeting Finn soon, but I wanted to call you and ask."
"Well, I appreciate you calling and asking this time," Rachel replied.
"I'll see you guys Friday evening," Puck said.
"Tell Finn I said hi," Rachel replied before frowning. "Or maybe not—I don't want him getting the wrong idea. Have fun with whatever you're doing tonight, but not too much fun."
"Later," Puck said and it sounded like he was smiling.
"This tastes wonderful," Rachel said as she dug into the casserole Kurt had made. "What do you think, Beth?"
"I like it," Beth answered.
"I guess that means I will have to make this again sometime," Kurt said, smiling. "Now, are you ever going to tell me who called?"
Rachel shrugged; she was really thinking about not telling him and just having Puck show up. It would serve him right after what he did to her. It just felt wrong, though, and she really wasn't one for revenge even if it wasn't anything serious. So, she sighed, and figured she should tell him even if part of her didn't want to.
"It was Noah," she replied after chewing and swallowing the bite of food she took. "He wanted to know if it was okay if he came this weekend and I told him it was fine."
"Why didn't you tell me earlier?" Kurt asked and Rachel's eyebrow rose. "Never mind."
"You're just lucky I told you at all," Rachel replied.
"That's true," Kurt said with a slight shrug. "So, he's coming Saturday?"
"Friday," Rachel replied. "Apparently Burt is shutting down the garage for some repairs, so he has a few days off and thought he would visit. I know we just had guests, but he doesn't really get a lot of time off, so I couldn't really tell him no. Plus, at the cookout I did tell him it would be okay if he visited around this time, and it's not his fault Mercedes and Tina came recently."
"Well, I work Friday and Saturday, but I have Sunday night off," Kurt stated. "Do you think we should have a little get together with Puck and Quinn?"
"I don't know," Rachel replied.
She hadn't seen or spoken to Quinn since she spent the night when Tina and Mercedes were in town. Usually Quinn was the one to call, but she hadn't tried to contact her in over a week. Rachel thought about calling her, but things were still weird between them and she thought maybe some time and space was actually a good thing. It was a little surprising, but she actually found herself missing Quinn sometimes or seeing something and her first thought was to tell the blonde. She didn't really know when that started happening, but Quinn was slowly becoming a part of her life and now it felt strange when they didn't talk for extended periods of time.
"Are you ever going to tell me what's going on with you two?" Kurt asked. "I believe I have been fairly patient about it."
It was true; after telling Kurt that she needed time before talking about it, he finally stopped pushing her for answers. She still didn't know if she should tell him, though; it wasn't just her business, but also Quinn's. Although, the other woman probably figured Kurt already knew. They were best friends, after all, and this was the sort of thing a person usually talked to their best friend about. Plus, Quinn didn't explicitly instruct her not to tell anyone. Still, Rachel didn't know if she was comfortable disclosing what happened.
"Maybe later," Rachel mumbled.
Kurt rolled his eyes. "Like I believe that."
"So, Beth, have you been practicing for Friday." Rachel said, blatantly changing the subject.
Kurt shook his head. "You're pathetic.
"Yes," Beth replied.
"Do you think you're ready?"
Beth shrugged and Kurt said, "I'm sure you'll be ready by Friday."
They were working on a small routine for class; it was nothing major, but it was the first thing she really had to work on outside of class. Rachel didn't want to push her too much—dance was supposed to be fun, after all—but she also wanted her to do well. Really, she wanted her to be the best in the class and completely show Sheila and her friends' daughters up, which she would never admit it aloud because it seemed petty, though she had a feeling Kurt had been thinking along the same lines since he would mention practicing at least once a day to Beth.
Since Quinn went with them to the dance class, things had only gotten tenser. Sheila was no longer pretending to be nice; instead, she was being openly hostile when there were no children around. Luckily, Zoe was around to help come to Rachel's defense, but it was getting a little ridiculous. These were grown women acting like they were in middle school. Rachel tried to stay calm and not react, but it was hard sometimes. She really didn't like these women and their childish behavior. She'd thought about taking Beth to another class, but she didn't want Sheila and her friends to feel like they won, and Rachel also wasn't the type to run away from a bully. She always stood her ground and tried to be true to herself.
"And if you need any help, you know Kurt and I will be there," Rachel added. "We've both had extensive dance practice and we would love to help if you needed it."
"So just let us know," Kurt said.
Rachel nodded. "Any time."
The two looked at each other and she definitely knew Kurt was thinking the exact same thing as her. They both wanted Beth to be the best so they could subtly rub it in Sheila's face..
"Okay," Beth replied.
Rachel glanced at Kurt, who just shrugged at her. They were silent for a few minutes when Kurt cleared his throat and looked at her with expectantly.
"Will you let me know about Quinn soon?" Kurt asked. "If we're going to invite her over on Sunday, I would like to cook, which means I need to know how many people I'm cooking for."
Rachel sighed at Kurt changing the subject back to the blonde. "I'll think about it, okay?"
"Think about it quickly," Kurt commanded.
"I'll let you know tomorrow," Rachel stated.
Rachel stared at her phone as her thumb hovered above Quinn's name. She'd made up her mind and decided it would be stupid not to invite her to dinner on Sunday, but she was still having trouble working up the nerve to call her. She knew she was being ridiculous about the whole situation, but that didn't seem to stop her from continuing to act that way. With one last deep breath, Rachel quickly hit the call button and put the phone to her ear, listening to the ringing sound as she waited for Quinn to answer her phone. She thought it was going to go to voicemail when she finally heard a clicking sound and some background noise.
"Hello," Quinn answered.
"Hello," Rachel greeted, trying not to sound nervous. "It's Rachel."
Quinn laughed lightly. "I know; your number is programmed into my phone."
"Right," Rachel said, shaking her head at herself.
"Is everything okay?" Quinn asked. "You don't usually call."
"Yes, everything is fine," Rachel quickly said, not wanting Quinn to worry. "I was simply calling to ask if you're free Sunday. Noah's coming into town and Kurt thought it would be nice if we had a little get together."
"I was going to do something with my roommate, but I can reschedule that," Quinn replied.
"Are you sure?" Rachel asked. "I wouldn't want you to cancel it if it's something important."
"It's not," Quinn replied. "We were just going to go shopping; I doubt she'll be happy about it, but she's never happy, so that'll be nothing new."
"If you're sure," Rachel said.
"I'm sure," Quinn replied. "What time should I be there?"
"I'm guessing dinner will probably be around seven, but I'll find out when I let Kurt know you're coming and let you know," Rachel answered.
"Okay," Quinn replied. "I'll talk to you then."
"Goodbye, Quinn," Rachel said.
"Nigh, Rach," Quinn replied.
Rachel threw her phone on the bed and stared at it; she didn't know if she would ever get used to Quinn calling her Rach. Kurt used it on many occasions, but Quinn's nicknames for her were always much more colorful. This was her being friendly, which was something Rachel still found difficult to understand.
Clearing her throat, she stood from her bed and walked into the living room. As she expected, Kurt was sitting on the sofa, reading the book he'd been trying to get through for the past month. With work, Beth, and his friends coming, he was having a difficult time getting through it and often grumbled about the fact that he was never going to finish it. She walked up to him and sat down, watching him until he finally put his book down and turned to look at her.
"Did you make up your mind about Quinn?" Kurt asked.
Rachel nodded. "I just called and invited her; she's coming."
"Okay," Kurt said, picking his book back up.
Rachel stared at him for a few moments before finally saying, "Quinn tried to kiss me."
Kurt's eyes grew wide, but the rest of him froze. She could see the subtle changes on his face as he tried to process what she just said, probably wondering if he'd heard her correctly. After about a minute, he set his book down on the arm of the chair and slowly turned to face her.
"Excuse me?" he asked.
"The night we saw The Lion King," Rachel elaborated. "We came back here for a little while, and when she was leaving, she tried to kiss me."
"Are you sure you didn't imagine it?" Kurt asked.
"It crossed my mind at the time," Rachel admitted. "I thought maybe I had completely misinterpreted the situation or possibly hallucinated it. It would have made more sense than thinking Quinn Fabray tried to kiss me, but while we were at the cookout, she confirmed that that's what she tried to do."
"Huh?" Kurt said, his face the picture of confusion.
"I know it's hard to believe," Rachel conceded.
"She tried to kiss you?" Kurt asked.
"Yes," Rachel confirmed.
"Quinn Fabray?" Kurt asked.
"Yes," Rachel repeated.
"Quinn Fabray tried to kiss you?" Kurt asked.
Rachel rolled her eyes. "I think I've already confirmed that Quinn Fabray tried to kiss me."
"I just—" Kurt shook his head. "I did not see that coming and I pride myself on having excellent gaydar. She is gay, right? This wasn't some game she was trying to play?"
"She is," Rachel replied. "She came out after moving here, but not many people from Lima know, so I'm sure she'd appreciate it if you didn't tell anyone. That's one of the reasons I didn't tell you sooner. That and I was still having a hard time believing it myself."
"Wow," Kurt said, still sounding slightly disbelieving. "Do you like her back?"
"What?" Rachel asked.
"Do you like Quinn?" Kurt asked, enunciating each word.
"I—" Rachel shook her head. "I don't know how I feel about her. She's pretty—the prettiest girl I've ever met—but she's also the girl who bullied me throughout high school. I know she's changed, but it's still difficult to think of her as someone other than that girl."
She sighed; it was something she had been thinking a lot about lately. As she told Kurt, though, even after thinking about it for weeks, she still didn't know how she felt about Quinn. Once upon a time, she did have a crush on the blonde, but then things got more serious with Finn and Quinn continued to bully her, which made her feelings go away. Even if she did like Quinn, she had Beth to think about now, and the situation was already complicated enough.
Rachel picked up a crayon from the floor as she walked across the living room. She didn't know why, but this was the third one she found that day, and she wondered how many more were lying around. She stopped on one, breaking it, but luckily it was the white one and she doubted Beth used it very much. She was trying to clean the house since Puck would be there any time, but every time she turned around, there was something else out of place.
"Beth!" she called out.
"What?" the little girl asked when she emerged from her bedroom.
"Can you tidy up your paints?" Rachel asked. "And take your tea set into your bedroom?"
Beth nodded and began walking to her easel. Rachel hoped Kurt didn't plan on playing with her when he got back since she was making her put everything away. They'd been having tea time when Rachel asked him to go pick up something to eat. She hated breaking up their fun, but it was getting late and she was too busy cleaning to go out.
"Oh, and make sure there are no more crayons on the floor," she added.
She grabbed the blanket from the loveseat and neatly folded it before throwing it over the back of the couch. She put her hands on her hips and looked around the room. There was still a lot that she wanted to do, but at least most of the clutter was put away. She grabbed her coffee mug from the table and took it to the kitchen; she dumped out the bit that remained and rinsed the mug, setting it in the sink after.
Just as she grabbed the towel to dry her hands, she heard the front door slide open. Without looking, she said, "It took you long enough. Noah is going to be here any minute and I would like the table set before he gets here."
She heard a laugh that was definitely not Kurt's. "Kinda late for that."
"Noah!" she said in surprise. "You don't knock anymore?"
Puck shrugged. "I thought I'd save you the trouble. Beside, these are heavy and there's something gross on your floor out there." Puck nodded to the door. "I think someone barfed."
Rachel scrunched her nose up in disgust. "Some of the other tenants have no respect for anything."
"Give me a rag and I'll get it," Puck said, removing his bag from his shoulder and putting it on the floor next to his others.
"No, no," Rachel replied. "You're a guest here and I will not have you cleaning up vomit."
She looked at his bags and realized he brought a lot more than usual. The last time he only had a duffle bag, but this time he had his duffle and two other suitcases. It was far too much for only staying a week.
"Noah, why do you have so many bags with you this time?" Rachel asked.
"Don't worry, I'm not trying to move in or anything," Puck replied. "I brought some stuff for Beth; the big one has my guitar from when I was a kid. I thought I could teach her to play, you know? The other has some dolls that my mom wanted her to have."
"Oh," Rachel replied. "Well, that's very nice of you both and I'm sure she'll appreciate the gifts."
"I know she's learning to dance, but I thought it might be cool if she learns to play an instrument, too," Puck said with a shrug. "I just thought it could sorta be our thing."
Rachel smiled. "I think that sounds like a wonderful idea; anything that broadens her appreciation of music is always good, in my opinion."
"Eww."
"I think Kurt just arrived," Rachel remarked.
Puck laughed. "Are you sure you don't want me to clean that up? Believe me, I work at a garage with a bunch of dudes and I've seen a lot worse. You don't want to see the bathroom at that place sometimes."
"I'm sure," Rachel replied. "Just sit down at the table and relax; Kurt should have dinner."
Puck nodded and sat down just as Kurt opened the door and said, "People are disgusting. Who throws up in front of someone else's door and just leaves it! I'll tell you who it is; it's probably those weird people at the end of the hallway that like to throw food and used con—things out their window and onto the sidewalk for the rest of us unsuspecting people to step on."
"I'll clean it up after we eat," Rachel replied. "I would rather not look at it before."
"Here," Kurt said, holding out two bags. "I got Chinese from that place on the corner that we like."
"I'll set the table and put the food out," Rachel said, taking the bags from him. "Beth, dinner is here!"
She set the bags on the table and then walked to the cabinet to get plates and grabbed forks from the drawer for those who wanted to use them. She set one at Beth's spot—the little girl couldn't use chopsticks yet—and set a plate in front of Puck even though he'd already grabbed a carton and was eating directly from it. Beth joined them soon after Kurt emerged from washing his hands and they all took a seat at the table.
"How was your bus ride?" Rachel asked.
"Sucked," Puck grunted between bites of food. "I tried to sleep, but the guy next to me wouldn't shut up about his goat."
Rachel frowned. "His goat?"
"Don't ask," Puck said, shaking his head.
"So, did you tell him about Sunday?" Kurt asked.
"No, I did not," Rachel answered. "He only came a few minutes before you arrived."
"What about Sunday?" Puck asked.
"We've invited Quinn over and Kurt is going to make dinner for everyone," Rachel replied.
"Cool," Puck said with a nod.
Kurt may have been excited about getting to cook for everyone—he hadn't quit talking about it for the past day—but Rachel was nervous about having Quinn over. Kurt's inquiry the other day brought up even more questions for Rachel—questions she didn't want to think about and were much easier to ignore when Quinn wasn't in her presence.