Title: You Hit Like a Girl (8/?)

Rating: PG 13

Pairing: eventual Quinn/Rachel, Puck/Rachel friendship

Spoilers: Season 1 compliant, AU Season 2.

Summary: The summer after her sophomore year, Rachel Berry has three goals: 1. Prepare for Glee 2. Befriend Quinn Fabray 3. Create a Lasting Romance with Finn Hudson. By the fourth week of summer she's completely failed two of them. Now what is she supposed to do?

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Rachel woke up the next morning equal parts excited and worried. Excited because she and Puck were going to be able to really let go on the field. Worried because she's never known Quinn to make an empty threat. Quinn's determination was one of the many qualities Rachel found attractive, but it meant that she would eventually find out where they were playing and Rachel didn't want to find out what would happen when she succeeded. She really didn't want Noah to die.

She was hesitant as she sent Quinn her good morning text. Quinn was probably still very angry with her.

Rachel: Good morning, Quinn. I hope you slept well. I promise you that everything will be fine. Have a wonderful day.

She was halfway through breakfast when her phone lit up.

Quinn: I'll be watching you

Rachel: Quoting Police lyrics this early in the morning? Quinn, I didn't know you had it in you.

Quinn: Joke all you want, Berry, you and Puckerman are going down.

Rachel didn't respond, just shook her head. Ten minutes later, she received another text.

Puck: Baby mama is bat shit insane.

Rachel frowned.

Rachell: What did she do?

Puck: 20 texts. All threats.

Rachel: For someone without unlimited texts, she's sure sending a lot. I'm beginning to think she was lying.

Puck: You think? I'm afraid to look out of my window.

Rachel: Maybe you should just lay low until practice.

Puck: You don't really think she would kill me and hide my body, do you?

Rachel hesitated.

Rachel: Well, they did call her a young Sue Sylvester.

Puck: Not helping, Superstar. I'll pick you up at 1:30, okay? It'll give us time to shake her if she tails us.

Rachel: Good plan, I'll see you then.

After breakfast, Rachel worked on Glee as per her usual schedule. It was almost the end of July and her sectionals list was complete and the regionals list was looking really strong. She was trying to balance her song choices between old and new, Broadway and everything else. By the time Rachel was ready to head to her ballet class, she was satisfied.

She drove herself to her class and couldn't help checking for Quinn in her rearview mirror. Of course, Quinn wasn't there and Rachel almost forgot about her. Then she walked out of the dance studio struggling with her gym bad and fumbling in her purse for her keys and Quinn's voice reached her ears.

"Need any help?

Rachel stopped and stared. A very smug looking Quinn Fabray was leaning against her car.

"Q-Quinn!" Rachel winced at the high pitch of her voice, "To what do I owe the pleasure of your company?"

The blonde pushed herself off the car and sauntered over to Rachel. Rachel gulped as she stopped in front of her. Quinn leaned in.

"I think you know exactly why I'm here."

Rachel's throat went dry.

"Oh?"
"I'm here to help you make sure you don't get injured," she smirked.

Rachel got lost staring at Quinn' lips again. They quirked upward and Rachel blinked when her keys were dangled in front of her face.

"Oh," Rachel grabbed them, "Thank you."

Quinn's smile was dangerous. "I'll see you at home."

Rachel checked her rearview mirror the entire drive back to her house. She never caught sight of Quinn, but when she pulled into her driveway and got out of her car, Quinn was there. The blonde rolled down her passenger side window and leaned over. Rachel wasn't sure what to do, what she wanted her to do. Quinn's hazel eyes locked on to Rachel and she raised two fingers, pointed to her eyes, and then pointed to Rachel. Rachel waved awkwardly and Quinn drove off.

When Puck's truck pulled up in her driveway, Rachel sprinted outside, practically threw herself inside and told him to drive.

"She followed me to ballet class and back home Noah. I didn't even see her until it was too late."

"No shit?"

"None at all. She had this smirk on her face, Noah, like she was going to devour me."
"What kind of lesbian doesn't want a pretty girl to eat her?"
Rachel slowly turned toward him, "If I didn't have my seatbelt on I would wipe that smirk off of your face. You're mine on the field, Puckerman."

They parked three blocks away from the school because it would look suspicious to have a lone truck in the parking lot. They each carried a small duffel bag and wore their typical athletic clothes. They took turns glancing over their shoulders, but Quinn was nowhere in sight.

When they arrived, she and Puck just stood there looking at the field for a while. For some reason, it looked beautiful.

Puck held up his fist, "You're the best bro anyone could ever ask for."

Rachel bumped it, "Likewise."

They went to the storage shed and Puck explained the different pads to Rachel. He found them some old practice jerseys but had trouble finding shoulder pads that were small enough for her. They found a helmet that worked and Puck teased her about having a big head. They decided to just change in there and Puck told Rachel to keep her eyes to herself. Once they were properly attired, they turned to look at each other. Puck raised and eyebrow, Rachel nodded and they walked out onto the field.

Rachel thought that she had Puck had done a lot of awesome things together—fight club, Styrofoam sword fights, building the tree house—but playing fully dressed out on the field was the best of them all. The pads made moving feel different and the cleats gave her feet more purchase. There was a different sense of balance, but she was able to adjust quickly. It was also really nice to be able to use cones for their obstacle course as opposed to large rocks or various objects that always turned out to be far pointier than they looked. Near the end of practice, Puck was doing the obstacle course and Rachel was chasing him. He cut right and she tackled him. This time when they slid across the ground there was little to no pain and Rachel decided tackling was pretty awesome. She didn't move to get off him, just raised her arms in triumph and started singing, "I am the champion, my friend. I'll keep on fighting to the-"

Puck shoved her and started laughing.

They almost expected Quinn to be waiting for them when they were done. She wasn't and Rachel thought it was kind of anticlimactic.

She arrived home to find her daddy sitting at the kitchen table. He smiled at her.

"So, how was it?"

"It was so amazing, Daddy. I haven't had this much fun such my last capoeira tournament or Regionals. Actually both combined weren't quite this much fun. I completely understand why you were so enamored with it."

"I'm glad you appreciate my sport and that you're having fun. I'm proud of you for sticking by Noah."

Rachel smiled, "It's nothing, Daddy."

"I don't know. I think it's pretty brave of you to risk incurring the wrath of a certain blonde cheerleader in order to help him."

Rachel gasped, "How did—"

"She stopped by while you were gone. She was very interested in learning your whereabouts. I felt like I was in an interrogation room."

"You didn't tell her."
"Of course not," he leaned forward, "She seemed very invested in your wellbeing."

Rachel sighed, "I know. It's so confusing."

"Why? Don't friends always worry about each other?"

"She's not my friend," Rachel paused, "At least I don't think she is. She didn't respond to any of my texts at all until yesterday and then it was only because she is determined that I'm not going to play football. It's insane!"

Elias reached across the table and grabbed her hand. "Some emotions make you do crazy things."

Puck texted her later to tell her that Quinn had showed up to his house too. She'd also left him a few more messages. Rachel approached the composition of her good night text with caution.

Rachel: It's time for bed and I'm 100 % injury free. I hope you didn't spend all of your day trying to find us. Please sleep well.

Quinn responded almost immediately.

Quinn: You got lucky. And if you're concerned about me wasting my time, you should just quit or tell me where you're meeting.

Rachel: Good night, Quinn.

Quinn: Tomorrow, Rachel.

The next couple of days fell into a similar pattern. Quinn was everywhere but was never around when they went to practice. Quinn was getting frustrated. The tones of her text messages were getting more sinister. The glint in her eyes when she watched Rachel leave the dance studio was more intense and, sometimes, Rachel thought Quinn was just going to knock her out and lock her in her truck. She didn't, just watched her with burning eyes.

On the fourth day when Puck and Rachel arrived at McKinley there were cars in the parking lot. They moved cautiously. They were almost to the field when they saw the cheerleaders. They ducked under the bleachers just as Sue picked up her megaphone and started yelling. "Move it, you pathetic losers. One more lap before we call it quits. Maybe the next time you can all make it on time and we won't have to stay late to make up for your tardiness. Now, when is practice, ladies?"

A chorus of pained voices replied, "11:43 to 1:37."

"Exactly. Q, S, lead the lap."

Rachel and Puck exchanged a glance.

"Well, that explains why Quinn is never there to follow us."

Puck chuckled, "God, she'd throw a fit if she new exactly how close she was to finding us."
Rachel nodded, "Did you know that in most high schools summer practice isn't mandatory?"

"Tell that to Coach Sylvester."

"Do you think they'll leave soon?"

Puck shrugged. They squatted down as the cheerios ran by them. Rachel's heart was beating double time. A sweaty Quinn was second only to an angry Quinn on Rachel's scale of sexy. She shifted. Now she understood why Sue had asked her about the locker room.

Puck nudged her, "Damn, did you see Santana?"

"I wasn't really paying attention."

"Well you missed it. She totally got a boob job. They're at least a cup size bigger."
Rachel sniffed, "Well, I wasn't looking."

Puck smirked, "Only because you were too busy eye sexing Quinn."

"Noah Puckerman!"

"Relax, we're bros. We can talk about this shit."

Rachel glared at him a second before relenting, "Fine. I was. I fell prey to my baser instincts."

Puck rolled his eyes, "Babe, it's totally normal to check out hot chicks."

"I know. I just don't want to degrade them."

"So don't leer at them."

"Did you not just see Quinn? How is it possible not to leer at her?"

Puck patted her on the back, "Hey, since you're already kind of girlfriends, I think you're allowed to leer."

Rachel smacked his arm.

The cheerios closed up shop at 2:15 and Rachel and Puck waited an extra fifteen minutes after they left before they exited their hiding place and began their own practice.

Rachel ran through the course, zigging and zagging just out of Puck's reach. She hesitated a second too long and Puck clipped her and they fell down in a giant heap.

"That was luck," Rachel gasped, still on her stomach.

"You mean skill. Now who's the champion, Superstar?" He sat up grinning. Rachel rolled her eyes and pushed herself up onto her knees. Suddenly Puck scrambled away from her, his eyes wide.

"Noah?
Rachel gasped when someone jerked her upwards and she found herself faced with a very pale Quinn Fabray. Quinn jerked her closer and Rachel stumbled, steadying herself by grabbing onto Quinn's waist.

"Rachel," Quinn's eyes were darker than normal as they flicked over Rachel's face. Rachel couldn't even distinguish the emotions flickering through them because they were changing so quickly. Quinn frowned before reaching up and undoing Rachel's chinstrap. She pulled the helmet off of her and let it drop on the ground. She quickly ran her fingers over Rachel's face and gently tilted her head from side to side, searching for injuries. Finally, she rested her hands on Rachel's flushed cheeks. Rachel wasn't sure how she was still breathing.
"Are you hurt?" Quinn's voice was tender and filled with worry. It made Rachel want to kiss her. Instead, she removed her mouthpiece so she could respond.

"I'm fine, Quinn. How did you find us?"

"I left my bag."

Rachel nodded. Quinn was still looking at her as if she were going to fall over.

"Quinn, I'm okay."

"Are you sure, maybe you have a concussion."

"I do not. That didn't even hurt."

Quinn's eyes narrowed, "You sure?"

"Yes."

Quinn let her hands drop and took a step back. Rachel almost took a step forward, but she stopped herself. Instead she glanced behind her and saw Puck standing a few feet away, holding onto his helmet, eyeing Quinn warily. Rachel turned back in time to see Quinn take a deep breath, close her eyes, and release it slowly. When her eyes snapped open they were brimming with anger. She lunged past Rachel growling. By the time Rachel reacted Puck was flat on his back trying to protect his face and Quinn was yelling at him.

"What did I tell you, Puckerman?"

"Superstar, help me!"

Rachel pulled Quinn off of him with some difficulty, wrapping her arms around her waist. The blonde struggled against her. "Dammit, Rachel, let me go!"

"Chill out, Fabray."
"Quinn, please, calm down. Quinn. Quinn! Stop it!"

The body in her arms stilled. Rachel could feel Quinn's chest heaving. Puck scrambled to his feet and put his helmet back on. Rachel loosened her grip slightly.

"Stop it?" Quinn asked, her voice quiet, "I asked you to stop it and you didn't."

"It's not the same thing.'

Quinn whirled around and grabbed her jersey, "Yes it is!"

"You scare me like this."

Quinn leaned closer, "You scare me like this! Do you know what it was like to see you on the ground?"

"Quinn…"

"No, Rachel. I'm not going to stop until you do."

Rachel stepped back and crossed her arms over her chest.

"That's not fair. I know the limits of my body. I'm a trained capoeirista, Quinn. As Noah put it, I'm a freakin ninja. I'm incredibly agile, flexible and adept at avoiding injury. But really, I'm just as likely to get injured doing this as am I dancing."

Quinn waved her arms, "Want to avoid injury? Stop this."

Rachel stomped her foot, "This is one of the reasons I get up in the morning. Remember when you told me that you were working on yourself this summer? This is me working on myself. This is me helping Noah work on himself."

Quinn gritted her teeth, "So if I asked you to do cheerleading for me, you would?"

"Perhaps if you actually talked to me, and if I wasn't so incapable of cheerleading. Trust me, I've already explored that option in my life."

Quinn closed the distance between them. "You can't do this. I won't allow it."

"I can do this and am doing this. And you cant say anything. I respect your concern, but it really is none of your business," Rachel took a breath, "I offered my friendship to you and you rejected it. You didn't respond to any of my texts or talk to me unless you thought I was hurt. You don't get a say in my life."

"This is me responding, Rachel, okay? Now just take those pads off and—"

"No! God, Quinn, Noah was right. You are acting like a possessive girlfriend. Frankly, I wouldn't mind if that were the case, as long as there was cuddling and romantic dinners, but you just get upset and threaten my bro and—"

"Stop."

Quinn stared at her intensely and it made Rachel squirm. She glanced at Puck. He had his hand covering his face.

"Did you just imply that you wanted me to be your girlfriend?

Rachel's stomach twisted and she looked down. Apparently, she couldn't hold in any of her secrets around Quinn.

"Rachel."
She looked up and squared her shoulders, "Yes, Quinn, that's exactly what I was implying. You are passionate, intelligent and unbelievably strong and brave. You're absolutely beautiful, Quinn. Anyone would be lucky to have you as their girlfriend."

Quinn took a step back and looked at her. Her eyes were guarded again. Rachel could feel her eyes begin to burn. Quinn's whole body seemed tense and she seemed to quiver a moment before she turned abruptly on her heel and walked away. Rachel couldn't watch her leave so she looked at her feet. She didn't look back up until Puck put his hand on her shoulder. He gave her a half smile.

"Well, at least she didn't slap you."

She leaned her head against he chest, "I guess."

That night when Rachel sent Quinn her text, a simple good night, it felt an awful lot like maybe it was goodbye.