"Mom, I already told you I'm fine. Stop worrying, okay?"
Since his return home, his mother had fussed over him incessantly. While he appreciated her care and concern, the constant attention had reached an overwhelming point. However, the insistent knocking on his bedroom door drew his attention away from his internal musings, prompting him to rise reluctantly from his bed and yank the door open with a sharp tug. His hazel eyes widened in surprise as they collided with a pair of vivid green ones.
"Quinn, what are you doing here?" he asked, his voice tinged with a note of confusion.
"You've been avoiding me for a month, Isaac," Quinn declared, her voice tinged with hurt and frustration. "I think I deserve an explanation."
Isaac frowned, his brows knitting together in consternation. "I don't owe you anything," he retorted sharply, his tone defensive. "Last time..." He paused, swallowing back the bitterness that threatened to spill from his lips. "The last time we spoke, you made it clear to me what you thought of me... of us."
"I'm sorry, okay? I was frustrated, and I took it out on you.I'm sorry."
"Don't you think it's a little late for that?" he countered, his tone laced with hurt and resentment. He wanted to apologize the second he saw the pain reflected in her eyes but he forced himself to stand firm.
"You've been avoiding me for a whole month. You don't take my calls or answer my texts. How did you expect me to apologize to you? I'm trying to fix this."
Isaac's jaw clenched with tension, every fiber of his being yearned to wrap her in his arms, to tell her that he forgave her, that everything would be okay between them, that they would be okay. But as he looked into her eyes, the image of her talking with Sam flashed in his mind mocking him
"There are things that can't be fixed, " he murmured, his voice heavy with resignation. "This," he gestured to the space between them, "is a clear example."
Quinn's eyes widened with disbelief, her heart sinking as she struggled to process his words. "So that's it?" she exclaimed with a mixture of anger and hurt. "You're just going to give up on us like that?"
"Us? There is no us. You made that very clear to me."
"I told you in the heat of the moment. I was mad at myself, but I didn't really mean it."
"I asked you twice. I asked you twice what was wrong, and you got mad at me. Then the next thing I know, you were talking to Sam." A bitter laugh escaped his lips laced with bitter resentment. "I went to apologize to you that Monday, you know? I had a date ready, and I was carrying a bouquet of roses, hoping you would forgive me. And what do I find? My girl—Sam flirting with you."
"Do you want to know what happened with Sam? He came to talk to me and tried to ask me out on a date. And I said I wasn't interested because I made it very clear to him that we were just friends, that I had a boyfriend." She paused, her breath coming in short, angry bursts. "He approached me, making me feel uncomfortable, and I tried to push him away with my arm. I may have made a mistake with Finn by sleeping with Puck, but I would never cheat on you."
"Quinn, I didn't know, I—"
"Stop apologizing!" her voice rang out, sharp and commanding, as she stormed past him into the room, giving him a light push as she passed.
"Why? Am I being too emotional?" There was a bite to his words. "This is me, okay? Unlike many other guys, I like to express what I feel."
Quinn's chest tightened, she wanted to smother him with her hands as badly as she wanted to kiss him and that fueled her rising anger. "How would I know if you've been avoiding me for a fucking month, Isaac?" she shot back, You know what? I have the right to be mad at you too."
"Mad at me? Why?
"You disappeared, Isaac. You disappeared for almost 24 hours, and you didn't answer anyone's phone. If it hadn't been for Santana calling me at 4 in the morning, I wouldn't have known."
Isaac looked away, "I needed to be alone. Clear my head,"
"You got drunk and they beat you up. How do you think it felt to find out that my boyfriend was almost beaten to death? You disappeared, and the next thing we all know is that you've been beaten up."
She had to agree with Santana; maybe there was a part of her that hadn't forgiven the boy standing before her.
"How do you think I felt when I saw you talking to Sam, huh?" he exploded, his hands gesturing wildly as he took a step towards her. "I know I can't stop you from having guy friends, but that doesn't mean it doesn't bother me when you're approached by a guy who clearly has feelings for you."
Quinn's anger flared, her cheeks flushed with heat as she took a step towards him, her eyes blazing with intensity. "You know what? You're going to listen to me and shut up!" she shouted in frustration. Even in her anger, there was a fierce beauty to her, a fire that burned bright in her green eyes and Isaac couldn't help but think that she looked beautiful.
"Do you have any idea of the hell I went through when you had the accident and disappeared overnight? Or rather, the hell Lucy went through?"
"What?" Isaac's voice faltered, his expression shifting as if she had struck him.
"Oh no," she mocked, her tone laced with bitterness, "You don't get to look at me like that."
"I hope you're not blaming me for losing my memory. I lost my parents in that accident. I lost my family, for God's sake. The people I loved the most in this world died that day."
"AND I'M SORRY! I'M SORRY YOU LOST THEM! BUT WHAT ABOUT ME? YOU ABANDONED ME."
"I ABANDONED YOU!?"
"YES. YOU ABANDONED ME!"
"I LOST MY FUCKING MEMORY, QUINN. HOW WAS I SUPPOSED TO REMEMBER YOU? I DIDN'T EVEN REMEMBER MY OWN PARENTS!"
"I DON'T KNOW!" Quinn's voice cracked with emotion, her words punctuated by sobs, "I don't know, but you promised me you'd come back, and you broke that promise. I was 11. You were my only friend, and you abandoned me."
"YOU'RE ACCUSING ME OF SOMETHING I HAD NO CONTROL OVER." Isaac snapped, his patience wearing thin as he struggled to contain his rising temper. "DO YOU THINK IT WAS EASY FOR ME?"
"You always had it easy," She wasn't blaming him for abandoning her; she was blaming him for leaving Lucy behind. "I told you our story, how we met and became friends. But what you don't know is the hell Lucy went through when you weren't with me, or even before I met you."
"You're the same person, Quinn," he attempted to argue, but his words fell on deaf ears as she cut him off with a vehement force.
"We're not the same fucking person, okay? Lucy was an antisocial fat girl, the target of every insult you could imagine. And you? You were the popular kid, Belville's Golden Boy. All the girls had a crush on you, and every guy wanted to be your friend. Nobody believed that we were friends. They constantly told me that sticking with you would only drag you down to the bottom of the social pyramid by the time we reached high school."
"When you had the accident and disappeared, my whole world fell apart," she continued, her voice trembling with suppressed anguish. "The only person, other than my parents and yours, who treated me like a normal girl had vanished from my life. That summer before... before you got in that fucking car, you promised that you would come back. You promised that you would never abandon me, that you would always come back for me. News flash: you didn't."
Isaac felt a lump form in his throat, a knot of guilt and regret tightening within him as her words sank in. He had no idea of everything Quinn had been put through, but she had every right to be angry with him. He would have been, too, if he were in her situation.
"I understand, I-" he tried to speak, to bridge the gap between them, but she cut him off again, her body rigid with tension.
"No, you never will, Isaac," she spat, her tone icy and resolute. She turned away from him as if his touch burned her. "Do you want to know why people hate me? Do you want to know why I order slushies at people?"
Quinn felt a strange sense of relief as she finally let her words spill forth, the weight of years of pain and humiliation finally surfacing
"One afternoon, you were practicing hockey," she continued, a weak smile twisting her lips as she recalled the painful memory. "God, you spent more time on those blades than walking. I had finished gym class, and the girls, knowing it, waited until I came out of the shower to drench me from head to toe with slushies. It was the most humiliating moment of my life. I was just a little girl. My father was offered a job in Lima that same summer and I begged him to accept it. I needed to get away from Fairbrook, from all the humiliation, but especially from you. Everywhere I looked, everything reminded me of you."
Isaac's stomach churned with guilt as he listened, realizing the extent of the pain he had inadvertently caused her. All because of him.
"I promised myself that I would never let anyone make fun of me again. I started running every day and signed up for ballet to lose weight. My father reluctantly paid for a nose job, I started wearing contact lenses, I got rid of my acne, and I dyed my hair blonde. I asked my parents to call me Quinn."
She ran a hand over her face, attempting to regain her composure as she continued her painful confession. "I promised myself that I would become the girl every other girl would envy, and the one every boy would desire. I signed up for cheer camp, and that's where I met Santana and Brittany. All I needed was a boyfriend, and I would be untouchable."
"Finn."
"Finn. Head Cheerleader and Quarterback, a match made in heaven, right? Admittedly, he wasn't the smartest kid, but he was the Quarterback, and that was all I needed. He didn't pressure me, and he supported me, he was my safety net. And when I found out he had cheated on me, I felt completely humiliated. I was Quinn Fabray, the most popular girl in school, what did a Glee Club loser have that I didn't?"
"What happened next?"
"I slept with Puck. It wasn't one of my brightest ideas, but I was furious that Finn had cheated on me and upset that you didn't remember me. Puck told me that Finn didn't know how to appreciate what he had, and in my insecurity, we ended up sleeping together."
Isaac nodded slowly, understanding dawning in his eyes. "Is that why you tried... you know, with me?" he asked gently, his hazel eyes reflecting curiosity and compassion.
"Lauren posted Lucy's pictures all over the school. It was humiliating. I came to your house because I needed a distraction, to prove that I was still the girl that all the boys wanted, and then you..."
"I rejected you."
"You were my boyfriend. How do you think it made me feel that not even my boyfriend wanted me?"
Isaac's chest tightened at the anguish in her voice wishing he could turn back time and handle things differently to tell her that she was the most beautiful and desirable girl he had ever known, but he remained silent, allowing her to continue.
"You kept asking me what was wrong, and I was overwhelmed. I took it out on you. Lucy is something that makes me insecure. She's part of my past, a past that I've tried to forget."
"A past where I exist."
She nodded silently, her eyes brimming with unshed tears, and he bowed his head in understanding, his heart aching with the realization that he reminded her of a painful chapter in her life.
"I'm Quinn now.I've done horrible things that I'm not proud of, but I did what I did to be on top. I didn't do it for me; I did it for Lucy. So, you can either take me as I am now or leave me."
"Quinnie! Your date is here!"
Quinn took a moment to compose herself, she dressed in a light blue dress adorned with sheer straps and delicate sparkles on the bust—a vision of elegance and grace. This was supposed to be one of the happiest days of her life, a moment straight out of a fairy tale. Yet, as she stood there, she couldn't shake the sense of emptiness that gnawed at her soul.
Careful not to trip in her heels, she descended the stairs, her heart pounding with a mixture of anticipation and apprehension. At the foot of the staircase stood Finn, resplendent in a tuxedo with a light blue bowtie, conversing with her mother. Their conversation halted as they caught sight of her, their eyes lighting up with anticipation.
"Let me get my camera!" Judy exclaimed, her excitement palpable as she disappeared momentarily, leaving them alone in the foyer.
"You look great."
"You don't look bad yourself, Fabray," Finn replied with a playful bump of his shoulder against hers, eliciting a soft laugh from Quinn. "Oh, and before I forget, I, uh…I got you a wrist corsage."
With a mixture of curiosity and trepidation, she watched as he presented her with a gold box adorned with a delicate bow. As he opened it, her heart constricted at the sight—a single gardenia, its delicate petals a stark contrast against the velvet green ribbon.
"It matches my eyes," she murmured, her fingers trembling slightly as she accepted the corsage.
"I know... well, I don't, but he did. When we planned this, he wanted a part of him to be with you. That was before..." Finn's expression faltered, a shadow crossing his features.
Their moment was interrupted by Judy's return, camera in hand and a radiant smile as she ushered them together for a flurry of photographs. After capturing the moment for posterity, she finally relented, allowing them to depart.
"I want her back by midnight, Hudson," Russel quipped with mock seriousness as he bid farewell to Finn, a smile tugging at the corners of his lips before turning towards Quinn, his eyes brimming with pride and affection.
"Baby girl, you look beautiful," he whispered, "I know tonight didn't turn out as you expected, but try to enjoy it, okay? You've been dreaming about this moment for years."
"Of course, Dad."
"And now, your 2011 McKinley High Prom Queen..." Figgins announced, his voice carrying across the crowded gymnasium as he theatrically opened the envelope, "With an overwhelming number of write-in votes is...Kurt Hummel."
The winner, feeling the weight of everyone's gaze upon him, stormed off, his strides quick and determined, fueled by a potent mixture of humiliation and hurt.
"Kurt, stop. Kurt!" Blaine's footsteps echoed loudly behind him as he pursued his boyfriend, his voice pleading for him to halt in his tracks."Stop, stop! Kurt! Please, just stop, come on."
Finally, the boy whirled around, his expression a volatile mix of frustration and resentment as he glared daggers. "Don't you get how stupid we were?" he seethed, his words punctuated by the raw intensity of his emotions. "We had thought that, because no one was teasing us or beating us up, that no one cared. Like some kind of progress had been made. But it's still the same."
"It's just a stupid joke."
Kurt shook his head vehemently. "No, it's not," he spat, his words dripping with bitterness. "All that hate, and they were just afraid to say it out loud. So they did it by secret ballot. I'm one big, anonymous practical joke."
"Hey, girlie," Quinn heard as she picked up the call, her phone screen lighting up with the familiar faces of Asher, Jayden, and Gabrielle squeezed into the frame. "How's everything going over there, Prom Queen?"
"Didn't win," she shrugged, "oddly enough it doesn't bother me, I'm furious at what they've done to Kurt, if anything."
"We heard," Jayden's frown deepened, his brows furrowing with concern, "seriously, is your school just full of ignorant assholes?"
She couldn't help but laugh at his choice of words, "How's everything going over there? Who's been crowned?"
"We did," Gabrielle admitted softly, a hint of pride mingling with her tone as Jayden placed a tender kiss on her cheek. "Second most voted."
"And the first?" she inquired, her curiosity piqued as she observed her friends' exchange of glances, "Oh, okay, I understand," she murmured, figuring out who had been the winner.
"He hasn't shown up, in fact, we hardly ever see him around anymore. Coach Williams has been on our asses since he kicked him off the team before State," Jayden revealed, his tone laced with sadness as Asher offered a comforting pat on his shoulder.
" quit hockey?"
"Yeah," Gabrielle confirmed with a grimace, her dark eyes worried, "I mean, technically he hasn't quit but he's suspended until next year."
"What happened?"
"He got into a fight with a player from another team, and almost knocked him unconscious. The player later admitted that he deserved it because the comment he had made had been out of line but Coach Williams still called it unacceptable. He's lately having more bad days than good but Hannah is helping him out."
Quinn's expression softened with guilt, her thoughts consumed by the realization of the impact her actions had inadvertently caused. "Quinn, don't do it," Gabrielle's voice was filled with compassion, "it's not your fault, okay? You didn't know about Emily and he didn't know about Lucy. No one blames you for the breakup."
"Did we even break up?" her bitter smile betrayed her. "I don't even know what we are anymore."
"Isaac is like that, one day he's fine and the next, he may not be," Asher offered, his voice gentle and understanding, "but it's not your fault. He doesn't want to burden you with own problems, especially since he represents a part of your past that you don't want to remember."
"I didn't want to make him feel guilty.I just wanted to explain to him what I felt all those years. Santana pointed out that a part of me resented Isaac for abandoning me and that I still hadn't forgiven him for it."
"And it's totally understandable," Jayden's sympathetic voice resonated through the call, "no one blames you for that. Smile, okay? You look great in that dress."
"Totally, like a princess."
"Straight out of a freaking fairy tale."