Authors Note: Quinn's car accident never happened.

"Quinn?" Santana sat up from her seat with a look of disbelief. Rachel spun around to see Quinn in the doorway. Her face lit up at the sight of her best friend.

"You made it!" Rachel shrieked as she scurried toward Quinn, arms stretched out searching for the girls hands. Gently taking Rachel into hers, Quinn slowly looked up into her wide, brown eyes. She took a deep breath and smiled. "Why wouldn't I?"

Rachel's eyes brightened and began to tear up. "Y-You have no idea what this means to me..."

"Rach? Rachel? This means you're ready now, right? Yeah. Okay. I'm gonna take my place. We have twenty minutes. Twenty minutes." Finn said as he whirled around and rushed out the double doors with his mates following close him.

Puck took a moment to look at Quinn. She caught his glance out of the corner of her eye. Looking back at him, she saw him smile softly and nod before rushing after Finn.

Still holding one of her hands, Rachel turned to pull Quinn toward the other bridesmaids that were now standing by the couch. Quinn froze and Rachel felt her arm tug, so she turned to face her maid of honor with a wondering gaze. The blonde looked down, bit her lip, and then found Rachel's eyes again.

"Rach, I…" Quinn began.

During the whole trip from her house to here, Quinn did nothing but rehearse what she was going to say to Rachel at this very moment. Each line is now running crazily through her head. She paused briefly to gather herself and her thoughts.

How do you convince someone to not go through with something when you've tried and failed many times before? I guess HOW doesn't matter now… It's just that I need to keep trying… Quinn thought to herself.

Squeezing Rachel's hand, Quinn swallowed her fear and knew that this could be her last chance.

"Rachel. Remember when I told you I would support you as long as you were happy?"

"Yes…" Rachel smiled, a little confused.

"I...I think you're making a mistake marrying Finn." Quinn said in one exhale.

Rachel dropped Quinn's hands and took a step back. Her eyes filled with tears and she began to slowly shake her head. Knowing that she only had a few moments to plead her case, Quinn continued.

"When you came to me for my honest opinion that day in the girls bathroom, I only gave you half of it. He's just not good for you, Rach, and I think deep down you know that."

Don't stop now.

"Your dreams are bigger than all this… Than anything in Lima."

Even me.

"You need to slow down and focus on what's good for y-"

"How dare you…" Rachel interrupted Quinn. "How dare you barge in to my wedding telling me what you think is good for me!"

By now, the other bridesmaids had over heard the argument happening on the other side of the room. Tina looked at Sugar uncomfortably and they decided to wait in the hallway with Kurt and Blaine. Santana and Brittany slid down onto the couch. Brittany looked at Santana and grabbed her hand. Santana took her eyes from the bickering pair and found the floor.

Quinn looked at Rachel desperately. "I… That's not wha-"

"I waited for you! I made my fiancé wait for you… All just so you can show up and take back everything you said to me earlier…" Rachel blurted out, not breaking eye contact from Quinn.

"I meant what I said, Rachel! Bu-"

"How can you say that? You never supported this!"

"I support you getting married, just not to Finn…"

Rachel paused. What was that supposed to mean? She thought to herself. She could feel her face flush with anger, or confusion, or both.

"I was foolish to think that you and I could be friends."

"Rachel…" Quinn pleaded, taking a step forward.

"Don't." the brunette said, putting her palm toward Quinn. "I-I think you should leave."

Quinn's eyes were now filled with tears. She could feel her stomach sinking and her whole world crashing down. Rachel turned on her heel, stomped over to the table, grabbed her flowers and went out the double doors. Santana got up, walked over to Quinn and comfortably squeezed her arm before following Rachel out of the room.

Collapsing on the floor, Quinn buried her face into her hands. Brittany rushed over and placed her hand on her friends back. Sobbing, Quinn looked up at Brittany. Brittany hadn't seen Quinn look so helpless. She knew she had to say something.

"You tried, Q…" she began. "You did what you could."

"It obviously… wasn't enough." Quinn said, dropping her shoulders and crying even harder. "I couldn't… I should have… I should have told her…"

Brittany looked at her fallen friend, her own heart breaking at the sight. Think, Brittany... Think. Suddenly, her eyes lit up. Quinn wondered what could possibly be going through Brittany's mind.

"I have an idea." she finally said, standing up with her hand stretched out toward her puffy eyed friend.

At this point, Quinn was more than willing to do anything to get Rachel to change her mind… Even do whatever outlandish idea Brittany came up with.

xxx

4 years earlier...

"Quinnie! Breakfast!" Judy Fabray yelled up the stairs. Quinn looked in the mirror one last time. She ran her hands down her slender hips and smoothed out her new, fitted Cheerios uniform. Smiling at her reflection, she tightens her ponytail and rushes out of her room.

"I made your favorite." her mother smiled as she sat down a plate with Mickey Mouse pancakes and thick cut bacon. "Mom, I'm in high school now… Mickey pancakes?" the blonde said as looked down at her plate. No complaints about the bacon, though… She thought to herself.

"I don't care how old you are, you'll always be my little girl." Judy said as she gave her daughter a kiss on the forehead before sitting down. "And I know you love Mickey Mouse." she continued, winking at Quinn.

Looking down at her plate again, Quinn let out a small smile. She really does love when her mom makes her Mickey Mouse pancakes and bacon. Judy has always been a great mother, especially when she does little things like this. "I love you, mom" Looking up from her plate again, Judy smiled at Quinn for a moment before saying, "I love you too, Quinnie. Now, eat your breakfast. We need to leave for school soon."

There was a lot of tension in the car on the way to McKinley High, Quinn's new school. Over the summer, she and her family had moved from to Lima, Ohio for her dad's new job. The town was smaller than the one she grew up in but, if it wasn't for Brittany and Santana, she would've felt like this town swallowed her whole.

x

Back in June, Judy thought it would be a good idea for Quinn to attend a gymnastics camp in Dayton to make friends locally. There, Quinn shared a bunkroom with five other girls around her age. Of those girls, she met Brittany Pierce and Santana Lopez, who were from Lima as well. The three quickly became friends once Quinn found out that she would soon be attending high school with them.

The girls hung out together over the whole summer, showing Quinn around town and spending most of their time at Brittany's on her trampoline. One day, toward the end of July, Santana and Brittany were laying on the trampoline talking about McKinley's cheerleading squad, the Cheerios. "How awesome would it be if we made the team?" Brittany gushed to Santana. "We'd be popular right away!" Santana responded, eyes widening.

"What are you guys talking about?" Quinn said as she approached Britt and San.

"Cheerleading! Cheerios! You have to join with us!" Brittany said as she stood up and started bouncing. "Y-Yeah! You… H-Have… T-To…" Santana began to say as she was being flung around the trampoline. "Brittany!" Santana yelled, making the taller blonde stop. "Let me get up before you start bouncing!"

"Sorry, San… I'm just so excited!" she said, clapping her hands. "You have to do it with us!"

"I-I…"

"Look, Q… We're a trio. The Unholy Trinity. We have to do this together. It wouldn't be the same without you." Santana said as she climbed off the trampoline.

"P-Please…?" Brittany pleaded with her baby blue puppy dog eyes.

"Okay." Quinn finally said. "I'll do it."

"Yes!" the other two girls said in unison.

x

"We're here." Judy said, snapping Quinn out of her daydream. "Try to have a good day, sweetie." her mother smiled.

"Okay, Mom." Quinn said, shutting the car door behind her. She looked toward the school and took deep breath as Judy pulled away. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Brittany skipping toward her waving with one hand and dragging Santana, pinky linked, with the other.

"Hey hey! Look at you! You look great!" Brittany said with a big grin on her face.

"Yeah, lookin' good, Fabray." Santana smiled and winked.

"Thanks." Quinn blushed.

The first bell rang, signaling students to homeroom. Brittany hurried into the building. Santana walked behind with Quinn talking about the classes they have together, which were all except Honors English. "We would have English together if you didn't always have your nose in those books every moment you get." Santana teased.

Quinn smiled slightly at the comment. She can't deny that she loved to read. Stories enabled her to escape from reality. The blonde felt the safety in books that she sometimes lacked in life. Her mother always said she was a dreamer and Quinn would sometimes disappear to a whole other world. She needed to, after all, especially when her father is home...

She must have been in that other world already because before she knew it, she was in a cafeteria line watching Brittany and Santana giggle about something that must have been hilarious. A part of her was jealous that the two of them had such a close bond. She never really felt close with anyone or anything her whole life except for her books. After a few moments, Quinn tunes out the giddy pair and returns to her other world.

x

"Well, here you are." Santana announced as she stopped Quinn in front of a classroom. "Honors English with Ms. Pillsbury. Have fun, nerd." she joked as she pinky linked Brittany and they walked off.

Taking a deep breath, she walked into the room and sat down in the second row. She began taking her binder out of her backpack when she saw someone's feet come into view. Those are some hideous shoes... she thought as she paused before looking up to see who was standing before her.

Her eyes fell upon a short, brunette girl. She wore a plaid skirt with a maroon sweater that had a glittered horse figure on it. Her legs had thick stockings up the knee. The girl's outfit was unusual to Quinn for this weather. Her hair had two small braids, one on either side, that connected at the back while the rest of her hair laid down to her shoulders. This girl had the wide, bright, excited brown eyes.

"Hi! You're new to McKinley, right?"

Before Quinn was able to speak, the strange girl continued.

"My name is Rachel Berry. What's your name? Where are you from? Do you like McKinley so far? I see you made the Cheerios, is it fun?"

Quinn just stared up at the bright ball of energy called Rachel Berry and didn't say a word. She couldn't. Other than the Cheerios, not many people have spoken more than a few sentences to her all day. Why was this girl talking to Quinn? How did she have so much energy? Why was she dressed like that in the end of August? What kind of last name was Berry?

Suddenly, Quinn heard the teacher, Ms. Pillsbury, call the class to attention. Rachel spun around and sat down at the desk in front of Quinn, humming excitedly. What an unusual girl… Quinn thought as she continued to stare at the back of the brunette's head.

"Ms. Berry, please discontinue humming until the end of class." Ms. Pillsbury stated in a high-pitched voice, lifting her index finger to her lips.

Rachel huffed and crossed her arms. How could she be told not to hum a show tune? Especially after meeting the new girl just a few moments prior. The blonde's hair was slicked back into a tight ponytail. Her Cheerios uniform was crisp and perfectly clean. She had the prettiest hazel eyes Rachel had ever seen. She looked so-… She… She.

What was her name? Did she even say her name? Oh gosh, she didn't even let the poor girl talk! Rachel tore out a piece of paper, scribbled on it, folded it and passed it back to the blonde. Taking a deep breath, Rachel waited to see if the new girl would respond. Through notes, Rachel couldn't talk this poor girls ear off, and she might be able to recover from making a fool of herself.

Moments later, Rachel felt something poking her in the back. She reached her hand up and grabbed the folded note. Slowly opening it as to not look overly excited, she read… Quinn Fabray.

Quinn was her name. Rachel smiled at the fact that, even though Quinn was a cheerleader, she responded to her note. The brunette doesn't have many friends in Lima because her talent intimidates them all. Other students didn't seem to appreciate the Broadway classics Rachel sang down the halls and during recess as a child.

In reality, the girl was lonely. Sure, her gay dads kept her smiling with their nightly piano/singing sessions, but the brunette craved at least one true friend. Besides, she's going to need someone else, other than her dads, to tell about all the Tony's she'll be winning by the age of 25. Rachel knew she was a star, she knew her future was set to be bright… But she was determined not to be alone during her journey.

Before the brunette knew it, the bell rang and class was over. She stood up, turned toward the blonde and said, "It was nice to meet you, Quinn Fabray." before spinning around again and exiting the classroom.

x

"San, come on! You have to!" Brittany whined.

"Britt, I don't want to. It's weird." Santana responded, brushing Brittany's hands off her arm.

"What are you talking about?" Quinn asked as she opened her locker next to Santana.

"Brittany joined this singing club because they needed more dancers or something. She wants me to join too, but I'm not going to." Santana said as she looked at Brittany with a serious stare.

"But San! I've heard you sing in the shower! You can even sing with me sometimes… I'm probably not that good, but I'll try if you join! Please?" Brittany continued to plead.

"I'll join." Quinn chimed in. Brittany's body whipped around to face the shorter blonde, eyes widening. "I really like to dance and I sing sometimes, too. My mom says I'm good, at least. My dad doesn't allow much singing when he's home…"

"See, Santana? Quinn and I are both doing it, now you have to! We do everything together, remember?" Brittany smiled as she nudged Santana.

The Latina looked at Quinn and then back at her blonde, who was now making pouting noises.

"Fine. I'll do it."

"Yay!"

"When do we try out?"

"Now if we want! But it doesn't matter, everyone gets in."

Santana huffed. "So it's just going to be a bunch of talentless geeks, mumbling and swaying back and forth?"

Brittany frowned, looking at the floor. "They… They don't turn anyone away for being different. You don't have to join with me if you don't want to… But everyone is allowed to a unicorn, San."

Realizing that she upset the tall blonde, Santana pulled her chin up so that their eyes met.

"I didn't mean it like that. Of course I'll still do it." the Latina reassured. Brittany's eyes grew wide again as she jumped and pulled her in for a hug.

"Oh… Okay, okay! Gosh, calm down." Santana laughed as her and Brittany parted.

Quinn chuckled at the pair. Brittany always had a way with Santana like no one else. They were perfect around each other. If Quinn didn't know better, she'd think…

"Are you coming?" Santana yelled from down the hall.

"Y-Yeah, sorry." Quinn said as she shut her locker and hurried after the pinky linked pair.

x

"Mr. Schuester! If I can suggest some songs to sing this ye-"

"Rachel, we've been over this all week. We can't pick songs until we know who we have with us as leads."

The brunette huffed as she sat back down in her chair. Mr. Schue didn't listen to her ideas when he was teaching Middle School chorus, why would he start now that he's McKinley's High School Glee Clubs advisor?

Mr. Schuester went back to sorting his sheet music as Rachel looked around the room at the other members. She recognized quiet a few of them; she never forgets talent. Sophomores Sam Evans and Mercedes Jones were sitting in the far corner of the room with Freshman Kurt Hummel. At first glance, Sam didn't look as if he could sing, but Rachel knew he had stage presence. Mercedes and Kurt were, undoubtedly, Rachel's biggest competition for solos.

Two Senior boys she didn't recognize walked in with Matt Rutherford, the only Junior in Glee Club, and two recruits from the JV football team. Their names were Finn Hudson and Mike Chang. Talk about polar opposites… She thought to herself. Finn was possibly the worst dancer Rachel had ever seen, yet Mike could be the best male dancer in the whole town.

She heard laughing from the doorway and saw Brittany prance in with Santana and Quinn in tow. Quinn. Rachel didn't know that the new girl in her Honors class could sing. Or dance. Or both? Santana and Brittany sat down in the front row and Quinn sat behind them next to Sam.

"Mr. Schue, I have something prepared for today." Rachel insisted as she stood up.

"Uh, sure… Go ahead. Start us off." he replied with very little excitement in his voice.

Quinn watched as the Berry girl found her spot in front of the group and began. The blonde didn't realize her mouth drop open. Wow, could this girl sing! The brunette made it look like she was born to be in front of an audience. As soon as she started, her eyes lit up and she swayed with passion. Quinn leaned forward with her elbows on her knees and her chin in her hands. She watched as the brunette belted out notes the blonde knew she couldn't reach herself.

When Rachel was done, Quinn couldn't believe how amazing the whole performance was. Were these tears in her eyes? This couldn't be…

"Try not to drool so much, Fabray." Santana smirked as she nudged Quinn's knee with her arm, knocking the blondes chin off her hands. Was she staring like that the whole time? Did anyone else notice?

Mr. Schue started talking about the different talents of the new people to join the group, but Rachel tuned him out and kept glancing over at Quinn. She couldn't help but noticed the looks the blonde was giving her during her absolutely flawless performance.

"Okay guys, that'll be it for today. Your assignment for next week is to work on some dance moves to use at sectionals."

"Mr. Schu-"

"Rachel, let me worry about the set lists. See you next week."

The brunette huffed and went to turn her attention toward the new girl. Maybe I should try talking to her again… she thought to herself.

"Hi Quinn!" Rachel smiled. "Did you like my performance?"

"I… I didn't know… you could sing." Quinn managed to get out at least a few words this time.

"Is this troll bothering you, Fabray?" Santana said, glaring at Rachel.

"I was just saying hello, Santana. Quinn and I didn't get much of a chance to talk this week so…"

"Why do you need to talk to her?"

"I… We have Honors together."

"So? Maybe my girl Q doesn't want to talk to you."

Rachel looked down at her shoes as her smile slowly faded.

"San, be nice." Brittany said, bumping Santana in the arm. "My mom is waiting outside. Walk me out?" she continued.

"Sure." Santana said as the two started for the door. "Quinn, you still coming over?"

"Y-Yeah." the blonde said as she looked at Rachel. The brunette was still looking down.

"Don't worry… I-I won't bother you anymore." Rachel said under her breath as she brushed past Quinn and out the door.

x

Standing around the island in Santana's kitchen, Quinn couldn't help but think about what happened earlier today.

"Why were you being mean to Berry after glee club?" Quinn asked curiously.

"The midget?" Santana laughed.

"Y-Yeah… The midget."

"I don't know. It's fun, I guess. Why do you care?"

"I just… I thought maybe she did something to you or…"

"No. She just thinks she's better than everyone else. I've taken it upon myself to make sure she stays level headed."

"Oh…" Quinn sighed as she looked down at the smoothie Mrs. Lopez made for her.

"Look Q, we're cheerleaders. We may be in Glee Club but that doesn't mean we're friends with them. We talk to Cheerios and football guys. It's bad enough you read books." Santana said, shivering at the thought.

Quinn stayed silent as she sipped her smoothie. After what she went through at her old school, she didn't want to mess things up at McKinley. If that includes having to go along with Santana a few times, then so be it. I can't go back to how things used to be… she thought to herself.

x

A few weeks passed and Rachel still hadn't tried to speak to Quinn. The blonde wanted to please Santana, but Rachel seemed too nice to be without a single friend. Stopping at her locker, Quinn saw the brunette pass her out of the corner of her eye. Santana doesn't have to know we talked… Quinn thought to herself. A few words won't hurt muc-…

Quinn snapped back to reality when she heard the other students in the hall gasp. Looking around, she saw what everyone was staring and pointing at. There, in the middle of the hallway, Rachel stood soaked from head to toe in purple slush. Two boys in Varsity jackets, one with what seemed to be a squirrel on his head, high fived as they rounded the corner and out of sight.

Quinn didn't know what to do but watch as the Berry girl ran down the hallway, wiping both tears and slush from her eyes. The blonde momentarily flashed back to memories of her old school. She had never heard of a Slush being thrown at someone, but she was all too familiar with similar humiliation.

Throwing the door open to the girls bathroom, Rachel rushed over to the nearest sink and began splashing water into her eyes. She could feel the cold, sticky beverage sliding down inside her shirt and pants. It was no use attempting to clean the purple stain from her clothes, she knew they were already ruined.

How I am supposed to go to class like this… the brunette thought to herself as she looked again in the mirror. She couldn't tell anymore if her eyes were puffy from the sugary, burning sensation she felt or from her relentless tears. Rachel heard the door to the bathroom slowly begin to open and someone step inside.

"Hey…" A small voice said from the doorway. "A-Are you alright?"

"Just fine." the brunette sarcastically replied, brushing a sticky strand of hair from her face.

"I saw what those boys did to you. It wasn't-"

"It's fine." Rachel mumbled, trying to hold back sobs.

Quinn began to step closer to the visually small, broken girl.

"You have to tell someone. I saw the boys who did it… I can go with you if you wan-"

"No." Rachel said with a stern voice as she stiffened up and turned to face the blonde. "That wont be necessary."

"W-Why not?" Quinn said, confused about how this Berry girl was going to let those boys get away with throwing Slush on her in the middle of the hallway.

"If I report them, they'll just come back after a few days with the whole team and I'll get it even worse." Rachel paused, looked down, and wiped another set of tears from her eyes. "Why do you even care, anyway? You shouldn't be in here. What would Santana say if she saw you with me?" she huffed, turning away from the blonde.

"She doesn't have to know…" Quinn began, but she saw the brunette tear up even more. "Look, I-I wasn't the one who said you were bothering me… You just assumed and then stormed out, remember?"

"You're a Cheerio."

"And?"

"You can't have it both ways. Cheerios aren't friends with people like me…" Rachel said softly. No one is friends with me…

"I'll prove to you that I can." Quinn smiled lightly, placing her hand on Rachel's sticky forearm. "For starters, take these." the blonde said as she took her gym bag off her shoulder and got out a pair of sweat pants and a McKinley High T-Shirt.

"I-I can't. I'm just going to call my dad to come pick me up…" the brunette trailed off, starting for the door.

"Rach…"

Inches from the exit, she paused at the sound of her , it wasn't her name. It was a nickname, but not one that was malicious like troll or midget… This nickname felt warm and kind.

"O-Okay." Rachel finally breathed out as she took the clothes from the blonde. Before entering the stall, she glanced back at the Cheerio with a slight smile. "Thank you."

"Don't mention it." Quinn smiled back.

A few moments later, Rachel emerged from the stall with her damp clothes in hand. The brunette looked in the mirror at her borrowed outfit.

"When do you want me to give these bac-" she began, but stopped when she realized she was alone.

"Q-Quinn?" she asked, but no one answered. Quinn was gone.

x