Quinn hated school. There were positive sides like Mrs. Pierce, her assigned teacher, who always came to sit next to her to do reading or math exercises. Who made world history interesting and had colorful maps to help her students place countries on them.
Class 6B had beautiful pastel colors on the wall, a relaxation corner for times when anxiety or anger became too much for the students. Quinn's favorite was the large white table by the window. This was where Quinn could put her notebooks and pads, pencils and markers, paint and clay to create her imaginary world.
But the school had mostly negative sides in Quinn's head. Mrs. Pierce's assistant, Sue Sylvester, was mean and always yelled at the students for the little things. School also gave the blonde headache, Brittany and Sue having to call her names several times a day to bring her attention back to class. They also forced Quinn to speak, she hated it, the other students laughed every time she opened her mouth.
Dave, a big guy of 18, had found himself in the same class after having failed all his years in traditional education. He was big and strong, and very, very angry. He often like to throw things and insult others, teachers or students. He was a big bully.
Quinn didn't like him at all, he scared her a lot.
Today was different, it was the last week of school and lessons were learned and for most students, forgotten.
Quinn was sitting at the big white table sketching in her notebook. She heard Santana and Brittany talking sitting on chairs next to her. At the moment, Quinn was sure of two things.
The first, Santana would arrive late for her lessons and Mom would have to come to room 6B to bring her sister back to the car.
The second, Santana was going to marry her teacher. Brittany and Santana had taken the same classes at the same school and had slowly fallen in love. Brittany had finished her studies the year before while there was still one for Santana. Apparently, being a doctor required more intelligence than being a teacher. Quinn knew that Santana would move in with Brittany as soon as her studies were over.
The lines on her paper had slowed down and Quinn felt a familiar lump in her stomach rise. She recounted her drawing and squinted. The drawing of a dwarf presented itself before her eyes. With long brown hair and big round brown eyes staring at her. Quinn humpf, She had heard Santana say dwarf at least 4 times in her conversation with Brittany and had take her mind and paper.
Not only her real world had been turned upside down by the arrival of Rachel Berry, legitimate daughter of Shelby Corcoran. Now she was also invading her imaginary world.
She was about to turn around when a shadow appeared next to her and ripped the drawing from under her hands. She made a noise of displeasure before getting up so quickly that her chair fell to the floor.
"She's your girlfriend?", Dave's deep voice felt like a cold shower for Quinn, "or maybe she's the one who made you retarded?".
"Hey give it back and get out of here you imbreed moron", Santana had possisoned herself between the two youngsters so quickly that the blurry shadow of her sister appearing in front of her had made Quinn dizzy.
Everything was happening too fast and the only thing Quinn was aware of was Santana throwing insults and Dave sending them back just as fast. In an instant Quinn found herself being jostled backwards by a force colliding with her front, falling on the floor with a weight crushing her.
"How dare you shame me like that?" the man's voice echoed through 5-year-old Quinn's head like a sledgehammer.
The man's large hands held her tight, so tight it felt like her body was crushed by a block of cement.
"When they tell you to put it in your mouth and suck it, you do!" he kept talking as he walked decisively towards the child's room.
Quinn knew what awaited her and sobs welled up in her throat when the man slammed the door open and dropped the little girl to the floor. He went to the closet and took the cane that had become the enemy of my existence of the blonde.
"Go bend over the bed," the man looked at the little girl, she saw her shoulders drop and her face fall, her eyes welling up with tears, "come on Quinn, you have to learn...if you don't learn they'll do to you...they'll do to us the same as a mommy...okay baby?".
Quinn felt hands land under her armpit pulling her up, instantly she began to struggle and made noises of protest.
"Quinn it's fine, it's me, it's mommy sweetie," Shelby hugged Quinn before leading her to one of the bean bags in the classroom relaxation area.
Shelby had waited more than 20 minutes in the car, she had explained her crazy evening to her sister.
"Are you sure?", Althea's hesitant voice replied once she had finished her story, "I mean, do you feel psychologically ready? And how did the girls take it?".
"Of course I'm ready," Shelby's voice had never sounded so jovial, "I mean, that was twenty Althea ago! I'm in a good place mentally now. If I can handle Santana and Quinn, I can hang out with Rachel too. Speaking off, I better go get Santana or I'll stay here until I die...Goodbye Athea," Shelby hung up before Althea could answer her. .
Shelby got out of her car looking defeated. Althea didn't jump in joy like she expected, no congratulations, no emotion, just judgment.
She arrived in front of class 6B and entered to witness pure chaos. Santana was restrained by Brittany as she tried to attack Dave Karofsky who was restrained by none other than Sue Sylvester. She could also see Quinn, curled up on the floor.
"Santana what the hell?" she said approaching her daughter as Sue ushered the young man out of the classroom.
"He insulted Quinn and stole her drawing!", Santana was still yelling as Brittany whispered words in her ear to calm her down.
"That's no reason Santana!", Shelby replied crouching next to Quinn, "you're supposed to know better than that...".
She sighed when Quinn flinched away from the hand she put on her shoulder. She decided to help Quinn up with reassuring words and a gentle touch.
"Santana go wait for me in the car", she saw the young brunette ready to protest, "You two are going to go home. And I'm going to call grandpa so that they can pick you up.'.
"What?", Santana finally stopped gesticulating in Brittany's arms to turn to her mother, "Why do that?".
Shelby took a deep breath, she settled into the chair with Quinn against her and rock her gently.
"You'll go there for two days...you'll be sleeping there too...", Shelby looked Santana straight in the eye, "I need this dinner to go well Santana...I need this to go well. Since Rachel came in last nigth you sulk and you are unpleasant...And now you attack a young man with a disability Santana...".
Santana couldn't believe it. Shelby was getting rid of her, her and Quinn. She was getting rid of a presence that could shame her. Abnormal children who lived under her roof, who name their share.
"I see", Santana puffed.
Santana stop in front of her mother and her sister. Shelby felt Quinn slip out of her bed and slide into the chair across from her, never looking her in the eye.
"Santana," Shelby began, "She has a right to have her questions answered, and I don't want to scare her."
"Are we the one that might scare her ?" Santana's eyes locked onto Shelby's as she stopped beside Quinn's seated form.
"Not you, but your mood swings yes", Shelby stood up before continuing, "I thought about it and after talking with your aunt I thought it was better if I had dinner alone with Rachel the first time. ...I didn't take your reaction into account and I'm sorry about that. You can relax a little bit at the farm and when you come back we'll discuss it again. Depending on how dinner goes tomorrow, we will consider the future okay? One day at a time right?
Santana couldn't believe her ears, "one day at a time right" had been the phrase Shelby used whenever the girls had suffered from anxiety attacks or had more difficult days growing up .
Santana couldn't help feeling guilty. Shelby had done everything to welcome Quinn and herself into her house, to offer them a family. And she was so afraid of being replaced and forgotten because of Rachel, that she couldn't see that Shelby wanted to know her daughter…and that it was her right.
She looked at the drawing of Quinn that had ended up on the ground during her battle with Dave. The drawing next to his feet depicted a dwarf/troll species with frowning eyebrows and sharp teeth. She quietly put her foot on it so Shelby wouldn't see it.
"Maybe it's better", Santana lowered her head to look at Quinn, "I'm sure you'd rather go pet the goats than a meal where you'll have to sit listening to Shelby for hours, right?".
Shelby nodded softly before pulling out her phone and calling her dad...she was sure that was the best thing to do.
Rachel was looking around from her chair. Shelby's kitchen was overflowing with clutter, she was struggling to sit back and not put everything away.
Rachel was surprised when Shelby opened the door for her and only the two of them would have dinner.
Shelby had sent her adopted children t elsewhere so she could spend time with her biological daughter. It had made Rachel smile 2 seconds before she asked herself the question "what if tomorrow dad and daddy ask you to leave so that they can have dinner with a child they gave birth to 20 year's ago ?" well, it couldn't happen as they can't birth so all good right ?
"You didn't have to send them away", Rachel and her uncontrollable speech, "I mean, yes I was jealous but I was wrong, I... you did a good thing adopting them... ".
"Oh god...Rachel," Shelby started with her eyes half closed, "i whish i had know that before...but that's, that's okay. They got it...at least Santana got it. and Quinn followed her. Well no! I mean Quinn understood too she is not stupid but...They understood. they were not very delighted but...They understood.".
Rachel had her mouth open like a frog ready to swallow a fly. Intense rambling was hereditary? One thing Rachel was sure of was that the girls understood.
"Can you tell me about your pregnancy...", if Shelby hadn't been right in front of Rcahel she would never have heard the question, "how did you feel when you found out .".
"I was terrified. I was 17 and my world stopped spinning when I saw those pink lines. Then I told Ryan, and I was less scared. I knew that he would be there regardless of my choice and...".
"Have you thought about having an abortion?"
"It crossed my mind yes," Shelby sighed softly, "but when I also received support from my parents, I decided to... keep you. We moved into a small apartment and Ryan started working at his uncle's carpentry.
"How did he die", Rachel wasn't missing a beat.
"It was a little Rachel family carpentry," Shelby's voice shook, "there was only three of them and they wanted to lift a big piece of wood or whatever...and. ..it was too heavy, it fell on him". Shelby saw tears fill Rachel's eyes, "he didn't understand what was happening Rachel, he didn't suffer".
"Okay," Rachel whispered.
The young women continue to chat all night. With each passing second the knotRachel's throat seemed to get bigger and the weight of the world fell on her shoulders.
"Shelby," Rcahel's trembling voice interrupted the explanation Shelby was giving, "I..I be-ne-need help." she finished before bursting into tears.
Shelby got up from her chair to crouch next to Rachel. "Rachel what's going on? Anything you can tell me? I can help you."
"I'm pregnant!", Rachel exclaimed "and my fiancé he...isn't the father okay?".
Shelby freezes for a moment before taking the girl in a hug.
"We'll figure it out okay? together".