"Aren't you going to introduce us to your new friend Rachel?" Kurt Hummel had many talents, one of which was being able to tell when there was going to seismic change at McKinley. The queen was dead and in her place stood two new queens. And since Charlie and Quinn were new to McKinley they didn't truly understand the power structure, and more importantly they didn't have that many friends. Today was his day to catapult himself into the upper echelons of McKinley. No one would dare slushy him or Mercedes if they were friends with the Wonder Twins.
Rachel turned and flashed a smile at Kurt and Mercedes, "Kurt, Mercedes this is Quinn. Quinn—"
"Kurt Hummel at your service," Kurt interrupted, extending his hand towards Quinn. "I am loving your look, the punk rock look is so in right now."
Quinn glances at Kurt's hand and shakes it rather limply before repeating the action with Mercedes. She wished that they had managed to go under the radar for longer, so they could make actual friends. She glances over at Rachel ready to make her goodbyes when she notices that Rachel's brow is furrowed ever so slightly.
"That's not what you—" Rachel began, only for Kurt to step forward and latch onto Quinn's arm, squeezing between them. She stumbles back and before she can say anything Mercedes has flanked Quinn's other side. "I—"
"It's thanks to you and your sister that Satan's reign of terror is finally over, at least for now. She may have been the HBIC, but she had enemies and the next few weeks are going to be very—hectic. Everyone is going to be vying for a position to get a seat at the table."
"I mean it's going to be level warfare in the upper levels pretty soon, Santana might put a stop to it but you really don't want Santana getting power again, she's nothing more than a tyrant," Mercedes agrees quickly.
Quinn flicked her gaze over to Rachel who looked slightly dejected at being brushed aside and turned her attention back to Kurt. "Charlie and I aren't conquerors. We don't want to rule the school. We just wanted to get through the year as regular teenagers." Quinn pulled her arm out of Kurt's grasp.
"This is high school," Kurt pointed out immediately. "Survival of the fittest, it's what every teenager goes through. I understand that this may be daunting, but Mercedes and I know everything there is to know at McKinley. We can help you navigate this and cement your place as one of the most popular students at McKinley." The sudden icy cold air that hit him, caused Kurt to shiver and pull back from Quinn immediately.
"Popularity is overrated, and Charlie and I already made a statement. The last thing either of us need in our lives is people willing to kiss our ass because we're far more powerful than they are. Plus, I really hate having to figure out who my real friends are," Quinn said brusquely, as she moved to stand by Rachel. "I'm not interested in whatever you're peddling, so please go away." Quinn's phone buzzes and she looks at it, "Pizza is here. Where's a good place to eat that isn't the cafeteria?"
Rachel blinked and looked at Kurt and Mercedes who looked shocked, before turning back to Quinn. "The auditorium, I eat there sometimes. Shouldn't we wait for your sister?"
"As if she wouldn't just find us," Quinn scoffs before pausing and turning to look back at Kurt and Mercedes. "I'm going to assume that you're going to try to make the same pitch to Charlie, don't. Just—don't." With that said, Quinn tugs Rachel along to go and find the pizza delivery guy.
Rachel stumbles along as she follows Quinn, "Kurt and Mercedes aren't that bad, I think they're just a bit excited that Santana's rule has come to an end."
"Why did you come and help us?" Quinn asked, turning to look at Rachel as they made their way through the maze that was McKinley's hallways. "I mean you could have stayed back just like everyone else. You even gave Charlie your lunch."
Rachel hesitated, "I know from experience that being slushied is the worst. And I doubted that either one of you had brought a change of clothes. I thought that you were both level two's I probably wouldn't have gotten involved if I knew you were level fives," Rachel admitted. "I admit that I did it for selfish reasons, I really hoped that you two would be my friends, it would have been nice for a little while at least."
"Well, Charlie and I had hoped that we would make some real friends before everyone found out that our level was. So we're friends now, and in Charlie's mind you're her ex-girlfriend. Please don't feed her, I think it confuses her." Quinn informed Rachel. "Would you like to come over this weekend? I'd ask if you would like to come over tonight, but I'm still unpacking." Quinn spotted the delivery driver and waved him over as she pulled out her wallet.
A huge smile broke out across Rachel's face, she had never really been to anyone's house before, "Really?"
Quinn turned to look over at Rachel, raising an eyebrow as she did. Sure they lived in a nice place, but it wasn't like her house was an amusement park. "I mean it's just my house, you'll probably meet my grandparents who are weird, and the weekend will give my mother time to learn some vegan recipes. She likes being a homemaker, and I think she's worried that now that Charlie and I are nearing university age, she's becoming obsolete. She probably needs friends of her own—actually invite your parents. My mom needs friends of her own, before she takes an unhealthy fascination with my life."
The smile on Rachel's face faded immediately. "I have two dads, I understand that LA is far more liberal than Ohio, but here in Lima—" she trails off as she watches Quinn pay the delivery driver.
"Charlie once had sex with another girl because she brought her chicken nuggets from McDonalds. My mom caught them in the act. It was this whole thing, my mom still loves Charlie, at least I think she does. If your dads don't mind my mother asking them a bunch of questions that might get personal, then I'd say bring them over." Quinn stated as she receives the two extra-large pizzas, and a bag of breadsticks.
"She had sex for Mcnuggets?"
"Yes. Not even a twenty pack, a normal six pack." Quinn's lips quirk upward in a smile at the memory.
Rachel opened her mouth to say something, before deciding that she didn't know what to say to that. "They're also Nils."
"Rachel, my mother barely has any powers to speak of. My entire family isn't made of level five monsters. Just my grandmother, my aunt, all my sisters. Though Brittany's managed to convince the government that she's only a level 3. Dad's a level 4, he's the highest ranked on his side of the family. It'll probably make my mom happy to meet people who can't blow up a building with a twitch of their fingers."
Rachel brightened, she was so used to others at McKinley looking down on her fathers that Quinn's attitude was refreshing. "I'll ask, they could use more friends as well. Maybe we should exchange numbers?"
Quinn nodded and offered Rachel her phone as she balanced the pizza's and the breadsticks.
~ O ~
Figgins looked at the two young women in front of him, Santana still had an annoyed expression on her features while Charlie just looked bored. "I've provided you with brooms, mops and garbage bags. Stay away from any broken glass, and any exposed wiring. But until 4:30 today the two of you will be cleaning this place up. If there is any funny business both of you will be suspended. Understood?" When neither teenager answers him he scowls, "Understood?" He repeats firmly.
"Yes. Fuck, I hear you," Santana snaps at Figgins who glowers at her.
Figgins turns to look at Charlie, who shrugs her shoulders at him. Teenagers were awful. He shakes his head, "I will be back to check on you throughout the hour." With that promise made he turns and leaves the cafeteria. He would need to make calls to see how soon they could get it fixed.
The moment the doors close Charlie finds a seat and pulls out her laptop from her bag and turns it on, as she fishes her headphones out of her bag and plugs it in. Before she can start using her laptop however the temperature around her suddenly rises. Charlie sighs and turns to look at Santana, who looked dangerously close to flaming up again.
"Are you fucking kidding me? If you think that I'm going to—"
Charlie flicked her eyes to the mess of food, water and slushie and focused for a moment, nothing happened immediately before the entire mess lifted up off the ground and moved towards the metal trash can before dumping everything into it. With a wave of her hand, the broken tables immediately untwist and get placed back where they were supposed to be. "Can I go back to watching cartoons now? Okay? Okay."
Santana balled up her fists, "Are you four years old?"
"Yes, I'm a leap year baby," Charlie responds as she places her headphones on her head. "I'm officially four years old."
It was not the answer that Santana was expecting and she can't help but to stare at the weirdo in front of her. "Bullshit."
"Do I need to pull out my driver's license for you so you can inspect it?" Charlie questioned. "They even gave me the little frog hat, I look absolutely adorable." Charlie pulls out her wallet and tosses her drivers license at Santana, who catches it and looks at the birthday.
Santana immediately tosses it back at Charlie, "You think that makes what you did okay?"
Charlie sighed, and opened her bag again and roots through it till she finds her bag of gummies and pops one in her mouth. "Which part? Where you called me stupid? Or the part where you threatened to throw a slushie at me? Why do I have to take what you dish out?"
"Because I earned it. I earned my position, I am the strongest—"
"You were the strongest. You are no longer the strongest, and you didn't earn shit. You won the genetic lottery," Charlie interrupts as she pops another gummy bear into her mouth. A smirk darts across her face when Santana's temper causes another uptick in the temperature of the room. She had grown bored with needling Quinn, but she had found a new person to bother and it would be just as fun. "And now you're not in charge anymore."
"You think that they'll follow you?"
"You wouldn't be this angry if you weren't afraid that they are going to flock to us," Charlie retorts, finally standing up when Santana enters her personal space. "If it wasn't us, it would be another upstart level four who would have challenged you. And before you go and change history, remember it was you who decided to get in our faces. You picked a fight with someone and got your ass kicked, as far as I'm concerned this mess is your own fault." Charlie glanced down at Santana's hand that lights up. "Try it and I'll put you down and then leave you with an even bigger mess to clean up."
Santana's jaw tightened, it would feel so good to set the other woman on fire. But instead she takes a deep breath and reigns in her temper. "Whatever just stay the fuck away from me. McKinley is still my school, like hell I'm going to let a child run it."
"You picked a fight with me," Charlie reminded Santana as she took a seat and turned her attention back to her laptop and opened the Netflix app and began to watch an animated program.