Two: 'Are you all right?'

Quinn glared at her reflection in the mirror, and forced the offending out-of-place hair back behind her ear. There. Perfect again. Just in time to go off to the freakshow.

Her heels echoed in the emptying halls, as she headed to the theater. Not needing to pay attention to those in front of her- they would get out of her way- she instead ran through the conversation that was the reason she was in this sorry little club in the first place.

Coach wanted them out, and Quinn was only too happy to oblige. A picture, much too clear for her liking, flashed across her mind's eye. Finn and That Girl, holding each other and looking for all the world as if nothing else mattered. It made her sick to her stomach.

Sometimes, late at night, hidden in her room as she allowed her shoulders to relax, she closed her eyes, and her memories would replay that afternoon's practice. During those times, she could admit that they sounded beautiful together, two smooth voices flowing into each other as they filled each other's gaps. All Quinn could hope for with Finn was that her sharp plastic edges didn't bruise him too harshly.

Rachel bit her lip, and straightened her shoulders, pulling the muscles even tighter. This was not what she wanted to be thinking about at the moment, her hand resting on the handle of a theater door. No. And this feeling. this digging at the bottom of her stomach? Nothing at all like guilt for betraying something she had never wanted to be a part of.

She was never supposed to enjoy it. And she didn't. But being a part of a well-oiled machine was a familiar feeling to her. The singing just made it all seem- better, somehow. More like an art, less like the precise science that was the cheerleading squad.

"Quinn?"

Scowl already in place, she turned. "What?"

For a moment, there was confusion. Then she let her gaze drop to meet the eyes of the wheelchair kid. She looked away quickly. There was something about his eyes that unsettled her.

"You've been standing there for a while." There was a pause, as if he were considering whether his next sentence was worth it. "Are you all right?"

If it had been anyone else, such as the stuttering freak, or the gay boy or the di-va, or That Girl, she would have thrown out a painfully sharp remark, and nothing would have changed. But there was something about this boy's gaze- so easy to read, even behind those ridiculously thick glasses- that made her bite her tongue.

"I'm fine. Why wouldn't I be fine?"

He shrugged, not seeming to catch the frost in her tone. "That's what I was asking."

A exasperated sigh. He was so frustrating! To get away from him more than anything, Quinn yanked the door open and stormed through. There was the sound of his wheels rolling across the linoleum as he hurried to slip inside before the door swung shut again. Judging by the silence that followed, she guessed that he had made it.

And since when has she been able to pinpoint the sound of his wheels? A part of her mind wanted to know. But the rest of her mind was not interested in such a inconsequential answer. Or so she told herself.

That Girl was already there, head bent over a pile of sheets that was sure to be another complicated arrangement of voices and dance steps. Quinn tried to convince herself that the feeling in her stomach was one of annoyance, and not excitement for trying something new and challenging.

Puck entered then, from another door. He tried to catch her eye, but she avoided him by taking that moment to deposit her bag on the floor. He probably wanted to talk to her about some plot or another, and she was not in the mood.

"What are you doing?"

Quinn's head shot up again at the sound of her boyfriend's voice, only to realize that he hadn't been talking to her. He was already next to That Girl, peering over her shoulder at the notes. They were already conversing, in hushed voices that she couldn't quite hear.

He hadn't even seen her.

That was it. She was done.

Leaving her bag abandoned on the floor, she turned on her heel, heading out the way she had come. Sidestepping the wheelchair kid- didn't he realize he was in the way?- she shoved open the door and stormed out and down the hallway.

Any moment now, there would be running footsteps behind her, and his voice would ring out, calling her name. But that shout never came, so she kept walking. The halls were completely empty now, so it didn't matter where she went.

When she reached her locker, all the way down on the other side of the school, she slid down to the floor beside it and took a few deep breaths. They didn't help.

An angry swipe of the hand got rid of anything that might have been tears. But that stupid hair had fallen out of place again. Her hand raised to pull it back, but froze when she heard someone call out her name.

A familiar sound accompanied it, and her eyes began to water. Stupid. She rubbed furiously at them, and tried not to look disappointed when the wheelchair rounded the corner.

"Sorry," he said. "You walk really fast."

He had no reason to apologize. If anything, it should be her apologizing to him. But regret wasn't something Quinn liked to dwell on, and apologies for the freaks did not fit in her image.

"And?"

"And I was wondering if you're all right."

Poor, innocent boy. If it had been anyone else- but no. It was him, and Quinn was tired at being a bitch to people who were just trying to help.

"I'm fine, Artie." She stood, brushing nonexistent dirt off of her spotless uniform, tucking the hair behind her ear. "I'll be there in a minute, okay?"

"I can wait."

She glanced at him, thrown off guard by the double meaning that (may or may not) have been in that sentence. In her shock, she locked gazes with him for much longer than she meant to, and looked away as she felt the slightest touch of heat tint her cheeks. Maybe she had walked here faster than she thought. Yes. A decent excuse.

"Yes." Quinn's voice sounded off, even to her, and she tried to avoid looking at the boy as she strode past him, heading back to the boyfriend she was beginning to not know, and That Girl she was beginning to envy. Back to the group of misfits that, if she allowed herself to admit it, she was beginning to wish she was part of. Maybe she would stay with this Glee Club for a little while longer.

If she had chanced a glance at Artie's face, she might have been surprised by the triumphant grin that had spread across his face.

First name basis was as good a beginning as any.

Well, that was really fun! A sort of subtle ArtieQuinn, though seeing as I had way more fun than I thought I would have reading that, expect to see more from that couple in the future. This chapter is for Violet-Shadow, who requested the couple. Hope you liked it!

As mentioned last chapter, I am taking requests, be they character, situation, couple, or even a question. (as you may have noticed, each chapter will hinge on a question)

Until next time!