Chapter 36 – I'm Having the Day From Hell

It always felt a little strange to be back in Lima. Rachel had spent almost her entire life there, but yet New York felt more like home than Ohio ever had. Still, she was glad she could be there for Thanksgiving, and she was always happy to get to spend some time with her fathers. And she knew the feeling was mutual; she had been there for over a day now, but they still hugged her almost every time they saw her. She couldn't help but laugh whenever they did it, and she found their exuberance at Beth being there even more endearing.

"Does anyone want any more eggs?" Leroy asked, looking around at everyone. "Minus Rachel, of course."

"You can put some more on my plate," Hiram answered.

"I wouldn't mind another glass of orange juice," Rachel said, holding out her glass.

"So demanding," Leroy said, shaking his head, but he had a smile on his face.

Rachel laughed lightly and said, "You shouldn't have asked."

"Beth, do you want anything else?" Leroy asked as he poured Rachel's juice.

Beth shook her head, but then looked at her empty glass and scooted it toward Leroy with a, "Yes."

"When are you going to begin cooking dinner?" Rachel asked.

"In another hour or two," Leroy said, looking at the clock on the microwave. "Hopefully the turkey will be thawed by then."

Rachel laughed again. "Is it ever thawed on time?"

"I put it in a day earlier this time!" Leroy replied.

"And it's still half frozen," Hiram added.

"I don't know how it always happens," Leroy said, shaking his head.

"The parade is on," Hiram commented, looking at the time as well. "We can't miss that."

"You two need to come to New York next year, so we can all go in person," Rachel said as her father picked up his plate.

"That sounds like fun," Leroy said.

She had thought about staying in the city that year, so she could take Beth to the parade, but she figured it would be best to wait another year. They would have plenty of years to go, after all, and she was still a bit young. She and Kurt had went their first year there—her fathers had come up to join them—and it was a lot of fun, but also one of the biggest crowds she'd ever been in. She wanted Beth to be able to experience it, but she thought it would be better to have a quiet Thanksgiving that year since it was her first one without Shelby.

"Come on, kid," Hiram said, nodding Beth toward the living room.

The little girl picked up her orange juice and ran after Hiram. Rachel shook her head with a laugh and remained seated, as did Leroy. She'd watched the parade nearly every year, so she didn't figure it would hurt to miss the beginning.

"Is Quinn coming over later?" Leroy asked after a few moments.

Rachel shook her head. "Her mom wanted her there to help with dinner. Her sister and her sister's husband decided to come at the last minute this year, so it sounds like they're fixing a big dinner."

"Is her mom coming over on Saturday?" Leroy asked.

"I don't know," Rachel replied. "She hadn't given Quinn an answer yet. I hope so, though; I know it would mean a lot to Quinn if she were to make an effort. I just hope everything goes well today; I know she and her sister don't get along very well. From what Quinn has told me, it sounds as if Frannie is a lot like their parents." Rachel sighed. "I really wish she could have come over here for the day."

"It sounds like her Thanksgiving isn't going to be very fun," Leroy remarked.

"I'm sure that will be an understatement," Rachel replied. "I just hope she calls or texts me if she needs someone to talk to or complain to. I know she doesn't really like to talk about those things, but I don't want her to have to endure it on her own, and since I can't physically be there, I could at least be there for her emotionally."

"I take it you two are still doing okay?" Leroy asked.

"Yes," Rachel said, pausing for a moment. "I—I actually asked her if she would like to move in with us."

"You what?" Leroy said, looking shocked.

"I know it's a bit soon, but I love her, and I want to be able to see her more," Rachel quickly explained. "Plus this way she can spend more time with Beth and there would be three of us there to raise her." Rachel looked at her father and she could tell he wasn't very happy. "Nothing is definite; I told her not to give me an answer until she's really thought about it."

"Why didn't you tell us you were thinking of asking her something like that?" Leroy asked.

"Because I'm an adult and I can make my own decisions," Rachel replied. "And I knew you would try to talk me out of it, but there's no point. Quinn and I are in a serious relationship; it's going to happen sooner or later, and I don't see why it should be later. I know we haven't been dating that long, but it's not as if we just met; I've known her for six years."

Leroy sighed. "Will you at least warn us before you propose to her?"

"I promise," Rachel said with a laugh. "Although, I do hope Quinn is the one to propose."

Her fathers narrowed his eyes at her, which only made her laugh louder.

"Make yourself useful and run to the store for me," Leroy said.

"Did you forget the rolls again?" Rachel asked.

"Every year," Leroy said, throwing his hands up, and shaking his head.

As Rachel walked through the aisles of the grocery story, squeezing between people who were stopped in the middle of the walkway, she vowed to never let her fathers forget the rolls again. It wasn't the first time she had to run out on Thanksgiving for them and it was always the worst shopping experience she had all year. She didn't know why so many people were out, but there were people with carts full of groceries. It was unfathomable to her how people could wait until the very day to do their shopping for dinner. At least she just needed to get one item.

When she finally stopped in front of the rolls, there wasn't a lot to choose from. She quickly realized they didn't have the ones Leroy had requested, so she grabbed what she hoped was the closest to it. If it wasn't satisfactory she would just have him come back; she just wanted to get in and out of the store as quickly as possible and get home, safety away from the madness that was the grocery store.

"Well, well," Rachel heard from behind, and she instantly froze.

She hadn't heard Santana's voice since graduation, but it wasn't one she could easily forget. The girl was horrible to her in high school—probably even more so than Quinn—and she always knew how to hurt her with just a few simple words. Rachel wasn't the type of person to back down from anyone, though, so she squared her shoulders and turned around to look at the other woman.

"Hello, Santana," Rachel said. "I wasn't aware you still lived in Lima."

Santana's eyebrow rose. "I don't.

"Oh," Rachel replied. "Just here for the holidays, too, then?"

"Q didn't tell you?" Santana asked, and Rachel could see that evil glint in her eyes that she knew all too well.

"Tell me what?" Rachel asked back, trying to not sound too curious about the answer.

"That we live together," Santana stated.

"You—"

She didn't want to believe Santana; surely Quinn would have told her that she was her roommate. But considering how little she did say about her roommate and that she never even knew her name, Rachel had a feeling Santana was telling the truth. She just didn't understand why Quinn would keep something like that from her.

"And here I thought she was just afraid I'd hurt your delicate feelings," Santana said. "You never could take a joke."

"What you did in high school was hardly joking," Rachel replied before she could stop herself.

Santana rolled her eyes. "Get over it."

"If you'll excuse me, I need to get home," Rachel said before turning on her heel.

"Aren't you curious what else she's lied to you about?" Santana called out.

Rachel hesitated, stopping after only a few steps. She could practically feel Santana smirking behind her, but she didn't turn around to see if she was correct. Instead, she stood rooted to the spot, though her mind was telling her to go. She knew no good could ever come from talking to Santana, but she couldn't seem to help herself as she asked, "What are you talking about?"

"I'm talking about why she's really with you," Santana answered.

"She loves me," Rachel stated.

"Does she?" Santana asked.

"I know she does," Rachel replied as she turned around to look at Santana.

"The only reason she's with you is so she can get Beth back," Santana said, crossing her arms over her chest. "You know she tried getting her back in high school, but she fucked that up, so now she's trying again, and you're too stupid to see it. Why else would she be with you? You're still the same loser you always were and she's playing you." Santana shrugged. "You shouldn't take it too personally; it's what she does to get what she wants."

Rachel shook her head. "No."

"Do you really think she just 'accidentally' ran into you after Puck tricked you all into dinner?" Santana asked, using air quotes. "After she saw Beth, she went all crazy again; she even called a lawyer. She never wanted to be friends with you or whatever she told you; she was snooping on you just like she did Shelby."

Rachel couldn't seem to feel her legs as she stood there listening to Santana. She wanted to tell her she was wrong about everything and that she didn't know what she was talking about, but she couldn't seem to find her voice. Tears had sprung to her eyes and she was trying to will them away, not wanting Santana to see her cry, but one of them slipped down her cheek. She quickly wiped it away and averted her eyes from Santana, not wanting to see the look of satisfaction on her face.

"You know I'm right," Santana said as she walked closer to her. "Why else would someone like Quinn want anything to do with someone like you?"

Rachel glanced up at Santana, who smirked at her, before walking past her without another word. More tears had come to Rachel's eyes and she felt like she was going to be sick. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see people watching her, clearly having overheard everything Santana had said.

She wanted to move, to get away from everyone, but her legs wouldn't seem to move. After a few moments, her legs began to shake and her chest felt tight, making it hard for her to breathe. She knew she needed to get out of there, and after a few more moments, she numbly turned around and began walking toward the exit, tossing the package of rolls down on a shelf along the way.

Rachel wasn't even sure where she was going until she found herself parked in front of the Fabray residence. Tears had been streaming down her face since the moment she got into the car and they were only falling faster now. She knew once she walked up to the house that everything would be over. She would hear that Santana was telling her the truth, and everything she thought she knew would turn out to be a lie. That everything that had happened since May had meant nothing. That it was just an elaborate lie constructed to get exactly what she wanted, leaving Rachel heartbroken.

Without bothering to look in the mirror—she knew she looked like shit—she finally opened her door and walked into the cold air. She wiped the tears off her cheeks for what felt like the hundredth time in the last thirty minutes, but she knew it was pointless. More would take their place within moment.

As she walked to the front door and rang the bell, she wondered if Quinn would finally tell her the truth or just concoct another lie. She needed to hear it from her, though; she needed to hear her say why she did it. She knew it wouldn't make her feel any better—if anything it would probably make it even worse—but she just needed to hear it from Quinn.

When the door opened a woman in her mid to late twenties was standing on the other side. She was taller than Rachel, but not quite as tall as Quinn, and she was wearing a dress just like the ones Quinn often wore in high school when she wasn't in her Cheerios uniform. Rather than greet her, she raised an eyebrow at her as she quickly glanced up and down at her appearance.

"Can I speak to Quinn?" Rachel asked the woman, who she could only assume was Quinn's sister.

The blonde gave her a disapproving sort of look before nodding and walking away, but Rachel didn't care. She also didn't walk through the open door. Instead, she remained in the cold, not really feeling it, anyway. Everything felt so muddled at the moment and she didn't know whether she was angry or simply devastated. Whatever the case, she was also feeling completely numb, so she was barely aware that it was near freezing outside.

"Rachel!" she heard Quinn say. "What happened?"

"I need to speak with you," Rachel said, looking up to find a very concerned looking Quinn.

"Why don't you com—"

"Out here is fine," Rachel interrupted, turning to lead them further away from the door.

Quinn followed her outside, not bothering to grab a coat. Rachel's first thought was to tell her she was going to freeze out there if she didn't go back inside to get it, but then she remembered why she was there.

"Rach—"

"Was Santana telling the truth?" Rachel asked.

"Santana?" Quinn asked. "When did you see her?"

"Just now," Rachel replied. "I was at the store because my fathers forgot the rolls as usual and there she was." Rachel gave a light, hollow laugh. "Is she your roommate?"

Quinn sighed and slowed her eyes for a moment before saying, "Yes."

Rachel shook her head and turned, walking away; now that she was there, she didn't want to hear any of this. Santana had been telling her the truth; she felt it from the moment the words left her lips. In that moment she'd realized that she had been waiting for something like this to happen all along. Everything was too perfect. Quinn was too perfect. Everything had been a plot to get close to her.

"I'm sorry," Quinn said, running after her. "I know I should have told you that Santana was my roommate, but she's still the same Santana, and I didn't want you to have to deal with her."

"She told me everything else, too," Rachel stated, turning around, and stopping Quinn in her tracks.

"What do you mean everything else?" Quinn asked.

"How could you!" Rachel said, raising her voice. "How could you just pretend like that?!"

"Rachel, I don't know what you're talking about," Quinn said, trying to take a step toward her, but Rachel backed away. "What did Santana say to you?"

"She told me the truth," Rachel answered, wiping the tears from her cheeks. "She told me how you planned this all and how you were only pretending to love me to get Beth."

"Rach—"

"No," Rachel said, shaking her head. "I don't want you to lie to me anymore. Just tell me the truth."

"How can you think I would do that?" Quinn asked, and Rachel could see the tears forming in her eyes.

"Because people don't change," Rachel replied. "I wanted to think they could, but you're just the same Quinn from high school and I fell for it. I wanted to believe that you loved me. I wanted to believe everything you were saying to me, but it was all a lie."

"Do you really think I would do something like that to you?" Quinn asked, her voicing rising. "To Beth?"

"Why not?" Rachel asked. "You did it once before. You tried to take her away from her mother because you're selfish and you only ever think about yourself. You would do anything to get what you want and you don't give a damn about who gets hurt in the process."

Quinn looked like she had been physically slapped at the words as she took a few steps back, away from Rachel. "Santana is lying to you. I do love you, Rachel. How can you believe her over me? You know me better than anyone."

"Because Santana may be a horrible person, but she's never lied to me," Rachel numbly answered. "You're the one who's done that." Rachel sniffed as she shook her head. "I want you to stay away from me and from Beth."

With that, Rachel turned on her heel and began walking toward her car. She tried to hold everything in, but a small sob escaped as she slammed her eyes shut, trying to hold back the tears that were now flowing more steadily.

"Rachel, please just listen to me," Quinn said, following after her. "You can't do this."

"I didn't do this," Rachel quietly said, her voice cracking. "You did this."

Without looking at Quinn, Rachel got into her car and closed the door. She quickly started the engine, and as she pulled out of the driveway, she no longer felt numb. She wished she still did, though; it would have been better than feeling like her heart was being torn into a million pieces.

After sitting in the car for nearly thirty minutes, Rachel finally stepped out after checking her makeup, It wasn't quite as obvious that she had been crying for the past hour, but anyone who looked at her would be able to tell something was wrong. Her eyes with still puffy and her makeup was all over the place. She couldn't sit out in the car forever, though, so with a shaky breath, she closed the door and began walking toward her fathers' house.

She hoped she would be able to slip up to her room without being seen, but the moment she opened the door, she ran into one of her fathers. With one look at her, Hiram furrowed his brows in concern and immediately walked toward her, pulling her into a hug without question. The moment her father's arms were around her, she began crying once again. She'd managed to keep her tears at bay for the past five minutes, but she just couldn't do it anymore.

"Did I hear—oh no," Leroy said from behind her. "What happened?"

She felt her father shrug against her, having no idea how to answer the question, but Rachel didn't have the energy at the moment to answer, either. She had no idea how long they were standing there, but her tears eventually became fewer and further between. Even after they had dried completely, she remained there for several more minutes, trying to pull herself together.

"Where's Beth?" Rachel asked as she finally pulled away.

"She's taking a nap," Leroy answered. "Sweetie, what happened?"

"It's nothing," Rachel lied, turning away from them to hang her coat up. "Quinn and I broke up."

"Wait—what?" Leroy said.

"Oh, Honey, what happened?" Hiram asked, reaching out, and putting his hand on her shoulder.

"You were right about her," Rachel replied with a sniff. "She hasn't changed."

"Let's go into the living room," Leroy said. "Tell us what happened."

"There isn't a lot to tell," Rachel replied, following them into the living room, nevertheless.

"I don't believe that; you were just talking about her moving in with you two hours ago," Leroy stated.

"I ran into Santana at the store," Rachel said as she sat down on the couch.

"That horrible girl that Quinn was friends with?" Hiram asked.

"Apparently they're still friends," Rachel replied. "They're roommates; Quinn lives with her, which she never told me."

"Is that why you broke up with her?" Leroy asked. "Because she lied to you?"

"She lied to me about a lot more than that," Rachel said. "Santana told me everything. It wasn't an accident that I ran into Quinn outside of Beth's therapist's office; I guess she planned it somehow. She wanted to get close to me to get Beth. Santana told me she was snooping on me just like she did Shelby. She wants Beth; that's what all of this has been about."

"How do you know this girl was telling you the truth?" Leroy asked.

"Because it makes sense," Rachel replied. "At least it makes more sense than Quinn falling in love with me. And it's not as if it was the first time she'd lied to me. Several times in high school she would pretend as if she wanted to be friends with me, but it was always some sort of game. She wanted to humiliate me and I fell for it every time because I like to believe the best in people. I should have known better than to fall for it this time. Santana's right—why would Quinn ever want something to do with someone like me."

Rachel let out a shaky breath and wiped a tear from her cheek. "I knew something like this was going to happen. It's why I was so reluctant to befriend her in the beginning, but she can be very convincing when she wants to be. I pushed my doubts away, but it was always in the back of my mind. I should have listened to it." Her voice cracked. "Maybe if I had, I wouldn't feel like someone just reached in and tore my heart out."

Leroy's arms wrapped around her, but no tears came this time. She wasn't sure she had any left at this point; it felt like all she did for the past hour was cry. She was just thankful Beth was upstairs; she didn't want her to see her like this. Really, she didn't want anyone to see her like this, but it wasn't the first time her fathers had witnessed her crying over something Quinn had done or said.

"She wouldn't even admit it was true," Rachel hollowly said. "Though she did admit that Santana is her roommate, which simply proved to me that she still had no problem lying to me." Rachel shook her head. "I can't believe I asked her to move in or that I was actually thinking of telling Beth to truth about who Quinn really is. How could I have been so naive?"

"If she wanted Beth, why didn't she try to get her right after Shelby died?" Hiram quietly asked.

"Santana said she went crazy again after she saw her at dinner, so maybe she didn't want her until she saw her," Rachel replied. "Or maybe she just wanted her because I was the one who had her. It's Quinn; who knows what's ever going on in her mind. She'll do anything to get what she wants and she doesn't care who she hurts."

Rachel heard a slight creak on the stairs and turned around to find Beth coming down them. She turned away and quickly wiped at her cheeks even though there were no tears.

"Why don't you get cleaned up," Leroy whispered. "We'll keep her occupied."

"Okay," Rachel replied with a nod.

"You're up!" Hiram said when Leroy nudged him. "How about we get some ice cream."

"I left the rolls at the store," Rachel said as she stood up. "I'm sorry."

"Don't worry about it, Sweetie," Leroy replied. "I'll run out and get them. You just take a shower or a nap or whatever you need."

"A shower sounds good," Rachel said.

Truthfully, nothing really sounded good at the moment, but at least she could cry if she needed to without anyone being able to hear her over the running water.

LaurenKnight13: I bet you regret wanting Santana to make an appearance now ;)