Beth, What Can I Do? Beth never really cared that Quinn and Puck didn't keep her… not until now.

Note To Reader: I came up with this idea a while ago. There isn't a lot of action in this first chapter. It just tells you a little about Beth, and shows you what a day in her life is like. It gets more interesting later, I promise.

Glee belongs to Ryan Murphy, Ian Brennan, and Brad Falchuk.

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Identity

I didn't look like my mother. She had raven hair, brown eyes, pale skin, and an oval face. I had curly blonde hair, hazel eyes, tan skin, and a heart-shaped face. She was tall and strong. I was medium-height and average. There was a reason for this: I was adopted. Shelby Corcoran was my mother, but she wasn't my mom. My real mom was named Quinn, Quinn Fabray. She was the captain of the cheerleading squad, and my dad was Noah Puckerman. He was the resident bad boy. The two of them did it during their sophomore year of high school and conceived me. I was what you call "an accident." I've known this for quite a while. I met my parents a long time ago, when I was still an infant. It's been a long time since I've seen them. I don't have much memory of them. All I have to remember them by are the photos Shelby took of me with them, and a drawing of a clown-pig. I looked like Quinn. She had the blonde hair and heart-shaped face that I had, but I had the smile that belonged to my dad. He was tall and athletic with a Mohawk. Well, he had a Mohawk in the picture of me with him.

Apparently Shelby told the mother of my best friend Maddie about my parents when I was in elementary school. Maddie's older sister Brenda called my mom a "slut" and my dad a "jerk" to my face. At the time I wasn't sure what those words meant, but after I found out, I stopped respecting my parents. That was when I found out that I was an accident. I was so naïve at the time that I thought my parents cared about me even if I didn't live with them. I saw them a few times as a baby, and then never again. A few years later, Shelby told me the truth about herself, and I didn't know what to think.

"I did the same thing to my biological daughter that your parents did to you," she sighed. "I was a surrogate for a couple of gay show choir directors, and I never met my daughter Rachel until she was in high school. I regretted it, and your parents regret it too. You shouldn't think so poorly of them." She saw that I was sad, so she offered me a glass of water. Since I was born, Shelby gave me something to drink when I was sad.

Shelby was beautiful in her youth. She was still pretty, but just older. She didn't date a lot of men because she was too focused on her dream: her dream to be a star. I lived in New York when I was a baby. Shelby tried to become a star even then. I hardly ever got to see her. Figgins, the principal of McKinley High at the time, invited her back to Ohio for a huge amount of pay. Apparently the Glee Club instructor William Schuester refused to put a rich girl named Sugar in his club, so Sugar's father paid Shelby to start a new Glee Club at the school and put Sugar in it. Even though Shelby worked for hours in the afternoon at that school, I could see her in the morning and on evenings, instead of maybe once or twice a week like when we lived in New York.

Apparently Quinn was a train wreck. Her hair was pink, she hung out with a group of bad girls called the Skanks, she dated a forty year old skateboarder, and she smoked. Shelby confronted her and told her that she would allow her to be part of my life if she cleaned up her act. Quinn did right away, and she and Puck plotted against Shelby to get the custody rights to me. They wanted me, for once. When they lost the battle, Shelby no longer liked them, and they never bothered her again. They never bothered for me. I never talked about them. But never did a day pass where I didn't think about them. The pictures were on my night-stand, and the clown-pig on my wall.

I attended McKinley High School. My mom was still a Glee instructor, but now she was co-instructor with William Schuester. He was the man that taught my parents, and also Shelby's biological daughter Rachel. I hated talking about my parents in front of Shelby, but I realized that I could at any time go to Mr. Schue and ask him what they were like. I knew one of his children. Michael Schuester. He was a freshman, and I had just begun my senior year. His mother was Emma Schuester, the guidance counselor. Emma, Will, and Shelby were all in the same age range, late forties to early fifties. The current principal was Artie Abrams, in his early thirties and a good friend of my dad's. He was a paraplegic, but very smart. I could have asked him about my dad too.

I'd gotten my license about a year ago. I loved driving because I could get out of the apartment that Shelby and I lived in whenever I wanted to and give myself time to think. I would be out on the road for about an hour, contemplating my life. I didn't like school. At McKinley High, everyone was the spitting image of everyone else. Everyone was into the same things: politics, sports, money - only the kids in Glee Club, Chorus, and Drama had any kind of originality. I didn't hang out with those kids because my friends didn't. My friends like Maddie, who I shouldn't have even called my friend. She had changed from the person I knew when I was little. Now she was like her sister: loud, mean, and shallow. She spent most of her time staring at her round, perfect face, round, perfect little nose, small, perfect ears, brown eyes, brown hair, and fashionable clothing in the mirror, going to the club at night, or flirting with shallow boys. She didn't have time for me anymore. It was awkward because most of her friends were mine.

Kimberly Fields was my best friend. She was tall and skinny with dirty-blonde hair that she often wore braided down her back. I'd known her since I was in fourth grade, and we were on the volleyball team in sixth grade together and then on the basketball team in seventh. For a brief period in my life, I believed that sports were my niche. But I knew there was something else. I liked sports because I loved the adrenaline that rushed through my veins while I played them. But I knew that there were other things I could do in life to feel that same kind of adrenaline.

"I don't understand why Maddie doesn't talk to me anymore," I confided in Kim.

"I agree that she's changed." Kimberly nodded.

"Yeah, but she still talks to you," I mumbled. Kim was more popular than me.

"Maddie and you are like day and night," Kimberly pointed out. "She's rather shallow, full of herself, and immature. You have more depth. You're smarter than her, even if she's more book-smart and has better grades. You're life-smart. You're wise, and you know that there's more to life than hair and clothes."

"How can you say all that about her? You're her friend," I reminded her.

"I am her friend, but I'm also honest." Kimberly placed a hand on my shoulder. "And just to be honest, I think you're a much better friend than she is. Also, I really like your dress. It's pretty, but it's down to earth."

"Thank you," I said, looking down at my white baby doll. "Shelby sewed it."

"Oh, it's homemade?" Kim looked impressed. "It looks store-bought."

"Shelby's designed and made clothes since she was in high school," I explained. "She's fairly wealthy because she still has some of that money that rich guy paid her for the Glee Club years ago, but she enjoys making clothes rather than buying them."

"Speaking of Glee Club, why don't you join it?" Kimberly was curious. "Michael Schuester's in it, and his dad also teaches it. You'd be able to spend a lot of time with your mom."

I sighed. "Michael's made fun of for being the Glee teacher's kid. I probably am too, but it's worse for him since he's actually in the club. You know how everyone here is about musical people. I would get bullied. Maddie would think I'm a laughing stock."

Kimberly shook her head. "I would make sure that she wouldn't say anything."

"Plus I don't sing," I added.

"Have you ever tried?" she asked.

"Well, no. Shelby told me not to sing because she didn't want me to become helplessly in love with it the way she is," I explained. "She said that I would wind up with the same unsuccessful fate that she's cursed with. People that want to sing and perform wind up jaded and bitter. She doesn't want that for me."

"Well, you never know if you like something till you try," Kimberly shrugged. "Speaking of which, why did you never try out for cheerleading, Beth? You would have been great at it. You're athletic enough, and it would have been fun for you."

I shrugged. "I just don't want to be around people like Maddie, you know. I mean, you're not like Maddie. You don't go clubbing with her and the others."

"Clubbing is dumb," she laughed. "And I'm sure that not all of the cheerleaders are like Maddie."

"Most of them are," I disagreed. "No, you're right. It would have been fun for me to be a cheerleader, but there's a lot of opportunities I've missed out on. Look at me. I'm practically an adult and I've never had a boyfriend or a first kiss."

"You should join Glee Club, or Drama, or Chorus," she said with a smile. "The arts aren't my thing, but I have a weird feeling they might be yours."

I smiled back. "I'll consider it," I told her, but I wasn't gonna consider it.

I walked into my Trigonometry class and sat down behind John Ryan. He had light brown curly hair and torn jeans. "Hi," he said in a friendly tone.

"Hi," I replied.

"How's your day been?" he was curious. John was nicer than most of the other boys at school. The other guys in my Trigonometry class were friends, and some of them exes, of Maddie or her sister. Some of them were football players, and they liked to go around picking on people that were different from them. Fortunately they hadn't ever targeted me. I was invisible to them. Their names were Trevor Samuels, Bruce Driggers, Adam Benson, Kyle Wells, Cody Watson, and Connor Burns.

"Pretty good," I said. "My best friend Kimberly wants me to join Glee Club."

"I'm in Glee Club." John's whole face lit up. "You should join."

"I don't know. It's scary performing in front of other people," I said, but I really just didn't want to be made fun of.

"Not really," he disagreed. "And you wouldn't have to audition for solos if you didn't want to. I really think you should do it."

"I'll consider it." But I wasn't gonna consider it.

After school, I drove around Lima, contemplating my day. I thought about the way both Kim and John wanted me to join Glee. Was fate trying to push me?

There was a loud bang and I ducked my head as if I'd heard a gun-shot. A moment later I realized that I had a flat. Damn. Well, Hummel's Tire & Lube was only down the road. I hoped my car had enough mileage to get there. I drove the Porsche slowly and carefully over to the car repair shop. Fortunately, I was able to make it. I got out of the car and stood up against it. Burt Hummel was a man in his early sixties and a blue cap. He smiled and asked what I needed. I told him about the flat, and then he called his stepson Finn Hudson over to help me. Finn was tall and slightly handsome with brown hair and brown eyes. He was dressed similarly to his stepfather.

While he worked on my car, a man about his age with short strawberry blond hair, golden eyes, and slight stubble approached him. "Hey Finn," he said confidently. "The Lima Class of 2012 Reunion is coming up soon. Are ya gonna go and see what all the other football players have been up to over the years?"

Finn shook his head. "Nah, I'm not really interested in that, Chad."

The other man scoffed. "No, me neither. School reunions are for women."

"Hey, Mrs. Fry," Finn said to Chad's petite, curvy, brunette wife. She was holding the hand of their four-year-old daughter. She gave a white smile and said hello back. "Your car looks good," Finn told me, and then he asked Chad's wife to tell him what she needed for her car. She led him away to show him, and Chad grinned at me.

"Are you Finn's younger sister or something?" he asked in a friendly tone.

"No." I shook my head. "I'm just a customer."

"I think I've seen you around before," he said. "You're here a lot, aren't you?"

"Yeah." I nodded. "I'm always in my car, and a lot of the time there's something wrong with it. I take it here so that experts can take care of it. I'm like a paranoid mother who constantly takes her child to the hospital."

He laughed. "'Nothing wrong with that. Protectiveness is a great quality."

I couldn't believe that he found me so interesting. He just stood there, hanging on my every word. And this was a guy who played football in high school. If he was currently a teenager and hung with the football players I knew, he wouldn't be standing there. I shrugged awkwardly and hoped that his wife, daughter, and Finn would return.

Chad was a rugged man dressed in a brown jacket, a tight black shirt, and an ordinary pair of jeans. He was probably sixteen or seventeen years older than I was, but was rather attractive. It surprised me that he was married with a kid. He had the cocky stance of a womanizer. Thankfully, the others returned. I'd felt so awkward.

His wife kissed him and his daughter jumped up into his arms. Finn told them that their car was fixed, so they turned around and started off. "Seeya round, Finn," Chad said. "And oh, what was your name?" he asked me.

"Beth," I replied quietly.

"Bye, Beth." He waved and he and his family went over to their car.

"Hey Beth," Finn said cautiously, "have you heard from your mother lately?"

"Shelby…" I began, "… or Quinn?"

He took a deep breath. "Quinn."

I shook my head and smiled weakly. "I don't ever hear from Quinn. Sorry."

"No, it's okay," he assured me. "Don't worry. You just look like her more than ever, so it made me think of her."

I rolled my eyes subtly. "Bye, Finn," I said in a friendly voice. He waved.

I drove home and found an old McKinley yearbook on a shelf in Shelby's room. I flipped through the pages and found Quinn's picture. Finn was right. I did look very similar to her, but our smiles weren't the same. Shelby told me that I'd gotten my goofy smile from my father Puck. I found his picture and saw that it was true. I found the Glee Club picture and stared at both of them. Just then the front door opened and I gasped, shoving the yearbook back onto the shelf. Shelby couldn't know I was looking at them.

"Hey Beth, you're home, right?" Shelby's voice rang through the apartment.

"Y-yeah, Mom." I hurried over to the front room to greet her. "How are you?"

"I don't know," she sighed. "Artie had a talk with me and Mr. Schue today. He told us that for months, the school board has wanted to retire us from teaching Glee Club. They apparently think we're too old, and they'd like for someone younger and more energized to coach Glee Club. Artie says that he hasn't told us because he fought to keep us here, but he can't do it much longer. He apologizes, but he's going to have to look for someone new." Wow, that must have been awful for Artie, having to deliver the news that he had to fire his own Glee coach (Mr. Schue).

"I'm sorry, Mom," I apologized. She smiled weakly and turned on the TV. "Mom…" I began cautiously, because I really hated asking her about my parents. "My mother Quinn was very pretty, and she attracted a lot of guys, didn't she? I mean, she got my father to… have sex with her in the tenth grade, right? And she had boyfrien-"

Shelby looked confused. "Yes, why?"

"Well, everyone says I look like her," I said quietly, "and… boys don't like me."

Shelby groaned. "You just haven't met the right guy, Beth."

"Well, you'd think that someone would have been attracted to me by now if I look so much like her," I pointed out. "If we're so similar, I'm not exactly a dog -"

"Beth, you sound like Quinn right now. Complaining about something small."

My eyes widened. "Why are you insulting me like that? I'm just saying!"

"Right, I'm sorry, Beth," Shelby apologized. "But really, why does this matter so much to you?"

"Because I'm a senior in high school and I've never gone on a date," I snapped.

"You're not the only one," she assured me. "Kimberly's never dated anyone."

"That's because she's so focused on her grades that she doesn't have time for boys," I explained. "Plenty of boys are attracted to her though, and would gladly date her if she seemed interested. But no one notices me!"

"Men aren't that special, Beth." Shelby shook her head. "You're better off without them, trust me."

"You're only saying that because you never date anyone," I muttered.

"What is this? 1950?" Shelby scoffed. "You don't need a man, Beth. Lots of women live their lives never married to anyone. They're independent women."

"Yeah, but they don't care if they never marry anyone." I whined. "I do."

Shelby took a deep breath and placed a hand on my shoulder. "You're right. Quinn did get a lot of attention from boys, but it got her pregnant, didn't it? That's all she got out of it, really. Pregnant and heartbroken on several occasions."

My eyes widened. "And you think it's… bad that she got pregnant?"

"No." She shook her head. "I'm so glad that she did -"

"You said that all she got out of that attention was being pregnant and -"

"She got you out of it, actually," Shelby smiled. "Or at least, I did. It wasn't so bad after all."

"Yeah, nice save, Mom." I rolled my eyes.

"No, really," she assured me. "But you don't want to get pregnant, do you?"

"I wouldn't get pregnant," I groaned. "I would use protection, but all I want is to go out on a date. Actually, all I want is for a boy to like me. To have a crush on me. Is that so freaking weird to want? I feel like some kind of undesirable hairy monster."

Shelby smiled. "One with gorgeous blonde hair."

"Oh wow, very funny," I scoffed. She sat and watched TV as I went over to the bathroom and took a shower. While in the shower, I wondered how gross I must have been that no guy had ever been attracted to me. I pushed the curtain aside and observed myself in the mirror. I crossed my arms and made sexy faces – attempted to make sexy faces. Really, I just looked stupid. I was one of those girls with a(n excuse for a) chest and no ass. It sucked. I was skinny, but boys liked girls that were either super anorexic or super curvy, and I was neither. I looked so stupid staring at myself in the mirror. I bent over backwards, trying to look like a super model. I shampooed my hair with Victoria's Secret and continued making sexy faces. Suddenly I heard Shelby's voice shout at me, asking me why I'd been in there so long, and I almost slipped because she'd startled me. "Almost done!"

I finished and put on my pale lavender bathrobe. I wrapped my hair in a matching towel and left the bathroom. Shelby found me when I was blow-drying my hair and asked, "Did you enjoy posing like a porn-star in front of the mirror?"

I made a face. "What makes you assume I was doing that?"

She scoffed. "Why else would you be in there for an hour?"

"It was not an hour," I said. She crossed her arms. "Okay, maybe fifty minutes."

"I would like for you to start respecting yourself more, Beth."

I smiled sarcastically and said, "I wish I could go back in time five years to tell you not to bother to give me 'The Talk' because I never needed to hear it. I won't have any use for it in my life."

"Beth, one day you will have sex with a guy, and it won't be as great as you make it up to be in your mind," Shelby said sternly. "It hurts, and it's gross unless you're completely in love with him."

"Mom, don't bother." I glared at her. "I shall live a loveless life."

"I hate telling you this, but you are acting like your mother at the moment," Shelby snapped at me. "Quinn complained about nothing. She whined, and she was spoiled. If things didn't go her way, she would shut down. Don't be like her."

"I'm not," I muttered. "She'd had several boyfriends by her senior year."

I felt bad when Shelby left the room. I was shocked at myself for annoying her this badly, and annoying myself. I guess I was so angry about my best friend not speaking to me and about me never having had a boyfriend that I decided to take it out on her. I thought about how I often complained like Quinn and thought about sex almost twenty-four seven… like Puck. And with much despair, I realized that I was exactly like my parents. I was them.

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Author's Note: I'm still going to be writing "TwiLight It Up!" and hope to update within the next few days. I will also be working on "Define: Courage," which is about Blaine and Kurt. There will also be other projects I will be working on this month. I must be insane for writing so many stories at the same time, but with Glee not being on again until November, I need to keep myself preoccupied. Again, this chapter was just telling you about Beth, but there will be more action later.