A/N: *Runs in* I'm here! I'm here! I'm still alive!
Gaaah I hate myself. Okay. Excuse time (As usual)
I am so so so so so *wheezes* SO sorry about how long this took, and it's not even as long as my other chapters which makes me feel even shittier. Hopefully it's a much better quality than the last chapter, which I know for a fact was NOT my best work. I'm sorry it took longer than usual (Which in itself is really long) But I had been working on it with my laptop one fine day and BAM the whole thing crashed and I lost my entire chapter! Therefore what you're reading is the second version because the first one is lost to us all.
I *PROMISE* that the next one won't take too long. And along with writing that, I will also be finishing the faberry week sequel prompts, that way you have something to keep you occupied. (Unless this is the only fic you read from me in which case I promise I won't take too long.)
Just a warning: The next chapter is the tribute to Cory. I know it's been a while since I said I would write that, but my plans have not changed. He was a great man and I would like to personally write my own little farewell to him, and I hope you all will join me when you read it.
Thank you so much for your reviews, messages, and above all else your patience. I love you all and I cannot even tell you how much I appreciate your loyalty to this fic (Even if the writer is a douchebag)
I hope you enjoy this chapter!
Bee
"…Oh!" she moaned.
"You like that?" she asked. There was no verbal response, but the loud moan that escaped her kiss-swollen lips and the nails digging into her back were answer enough.
"Quinn!" she gasped.
"Yeah baby?" she asked, her breathing heavy as she moved.
"I need you!" she moaned.
"I'm right here." She said with a smirk.
"You know what I mean!" she said through gritted teeth.
"Say it. I want to hear you say it."
Heavy panting, eyes lock onto each other. "Fuck me."
She smirked again, lined herself up to the other girl's tight opening and gently pushed herself inside of her.
"Oh shit, yes!"
"Fuck you're so tight!"
"Harder!"
"Oh fuck that feels so good."
"Say my name baby!"
"Fuck…Rachel!"
Quinn shot up into a sitting position on her bed. Her alarm blaring, indicating that it was 10 in the morning, Saturday. She groaned in frustration and let herself fall back on the bed. She was painfully away of how 'awake' her 'friend' was. After a dream like that, who could blame her. She huffed out a breath and pulled the sheets off of her, getting out of bed and going to the bathroom where she turned the shower on cold. Stripping off her boxers and beater, she jumped in under the water, hissing when the cold water came into contact with her skin. She cupped her hands and let them fill with water, splashing it onto her face so that she could fully wake up, drops of water flying into her hair as she fought away the remnants of that dream. She was painfully aware that she was still semi hard, and the fact that the last images of that dream kept replaying themselves in her head over and over didn't help either. She could control her thoughts while she was awake, even around Rachel. But when she was asleep her thoughts were a free for all.
She shut her eyes, trying desperately to think of anything unattractive enough to make her forget the images in her head, but they were relentless and eventually she had to resign herself to the fact that the only way she was going to get rid of her erection was to take care of herself. She gripped her length and let the images of her dream take over her mind.
An hour later she was back in her room fully dressed when her phone buzzed with a new text. She sighed and grabbed her phone, reading the text and quickly typing out a response.
Puck: You up to shooting some hoops at my place?
Quinn: Sure thing, half an hour?
Puck: Sounds like a plan. Stay for lunch, mom's making tacos, your fav ;)
Quinn: Is she really making tacos or did you just feel like being a perv?
Puck: Both.
Quinn: I'll bring cookies.
Puck: Sweet! :D
She changed into her basket ball shorts and a t-shirt and went downstairs.
"Morning mom." She said as she made her way to the kitchen.
"Good morning sweetie, did you sleep okay?" Judy asked with a smile.
"Yeah." She said, even though the way she woke up would beg to differ, then again she still hadn't figured out if that awakening was good or bad. She guessed it depended on what you defined as 'good.' She concluded that it would be good if she were Puck. Close enough.
"So, any plans for today? Shopping with Kurt?" Judy asked, breaking her out of her own thoughts.
"Uhh, actually I'm going to Puck's to play some basketball, it's good to keep up practice you know?"
"Definitely, you know your father is very proud of you, so am I, and so is your brother." Judy said, her smile never leaving her features.
"I know mom." Quinn said, a smile of her own appearing on her lips. "Listen I was wondering, Puck invited me to stay for lunch and I was thinking-"
"There are some fresh cookies in the jar, put them there this morning." Judy cut her off, her smile turning into a knowing smirk. Quinn chuckled a little as she retrieved a container from the cupboard and filled it with cookies. She said a quick goodbye to her mother and walked out of the house, jumping into her car and driving to Puck's where she saw a familiar SUV parked in the driveway. She went straight to the back yard where the basketball hoop was set and found Brittany and Santana there, Santana playing with Puck while Brittany lay on her stomach in the grass next to a blonde and white pitbull Quinn didn't recognize.
"Hey guys." Quinn said, grabbing everyone's attention.
"Quinn!" Brittany hopped up off the ground and ran to her, hugging her tightly.
"Hey Britt." Quinn said, hugging the girl back.
"Hey Q!" San said with a wave before dribbling the ball and throwing it over Puck's head and into the hoop.
"Hey San, nice shot." Quinn said.
"Naturally." The Latina said cockily, blowing on her nails and polishing them against her t-shirt.
"'Sup Q!" Puck said, holding his fist out for her to bump, which she did.
"Who's the dog?" Quinn asked, crouching down to pet the pitbull who had approached her to get a sniff, he was currently interested in the container of cookies in Quinn's hand.
"He was a stray, I found him a few days ago, he was in pretty bad shape so I fed him and gave him a bath, took him to the vet to get him checked out and they said they'd have to give him to the pound, and if he didn't get adopted in a week he'd be put down, so I adopted him myself." Puck explained as he dribbled the ball around.
"He would have gotten adopted if he didn't anyway." Brittany said confidently, kneeling down and grabbing the dog's attention again, petting him affectionately "He's a big ol' sweetheart."
"Actually Britt, I hate to say it, but people don't really adopt pitbulls, there's this whole idea that pitbulls are attackers. One look at him and people would keep walking.
"That's unfair. People shouldn't just judge anyone based on looks. Buster might look like he's all big and scary on the outside, but on the inside he's a sweetheart who wouldn't hurt a fly unless it was to protect someone." Brittany said, having cupped the dog's chin and was looking right into his eyes, her nose touching his as she spoke. He responded with a quick lick of her face and she giggled. "Kinda like Puck."
"A lot like Puck actually." Quinn said in agreement and smiled at the boy, who wouldn't look at either of them and seemed to find dribbling the basketball very interesting. A small faint blush could be seen on his cheeks to anyone standing close enough.
"So his name is Buster?" Quinn asked, going back to petting the dog who seemed to want to get acquainted with the new comer holding a container of nice-smelling goodies.
"Yeah, I even got him a tag" Puck said, Quinn noticing the dark blue tag with the name Buster on the front and Puck's home information on the back.
"Well it's nice to meet you Buster." Quinn said to the dog, who licked at her nose in response. She chuckled and stood up straight.
"Those the cookies?" Puck asked.
"Yeah, luckily my mom always makes sure I take plenty. I had no idea you guys would be here." Quinn said as Santana passed her the basketball.
"Well once you try mama Puckerman's tacos you won't ever want to miss another Saturday at his place again!" Santana said with a smile.
"Hey you keep Quinn away from my mama's taco!" Puck said with a goofy smile on his face and Santana and Quinn looked at him with a confused look for a minute before they both groaned.
"Puckerman!"
"That's gross dude she's your mother!"
"I'm confused, I thought Puck invited us specifically to try her taco…" Brittany deadpanned.
"Britt he means a different kind of taco." Santana said gently.
"I'm still confused." Brittany said with a frown. Santana smiled at her softly and rubbed her shoulder.
"It's okay, trust me, you don't want to know what he said anyway, it was gross." She said and Brittany rolled her eyes.
"Half of what he says is gross…" Brittany shrugged and went back to playing with Buster.
"Come on dudes. Let's play." Puck said, making a sign to Quinn to pass him the ball.
"Yo Q, you mind if I help our boy out here? Just so we have a fair fight." Santana teased, Quinn chuckled.
"Doesn't Britt wanna play?" Quinn asked, looking to the other blonde who shook her head.
"I always get confused who to pass the ball to. Besides, I wanna play with Buster." The taller girl said, tickling the dog's tummy as he lolled his tongue out of his mouth happily.
"Cool, come on S, we can take her." Puck said enthusiastically. Santana rolled her eyes and Quinn scoffed.
"Alright, alright." Santana said, standing on the other side of the small court beside Puckerman. Quinn grinned, flashed a wink at Santana and started dribbling the ball, turning to dodge Puck who was coming towards her and jumping up, dunking the ball into the net.
"Take that, Puckerman!" Quinn teased.
"I'll get you next time Fabray!" Puck challenged.
They played for a good hour before Puck's mother opened the kitchen window.
"Kids! Lunch's ready!" Mrs. Puckerman called through the window and the basketball just dropped from Puck's hands.
"Tacos!" he cheered as he ran to the kitchen, Santana and Britt following him. Quinn followed them with a smile, closing the door behind her after Buster walked in.
"Oh! Mom, You haven't met Quinn yet. She's the girl I was telling you about, the one on the team?" Puck said as he introduced Quinn to his mother. The older woman smiled at Quinn and nodded.
"Oh yes, Quinn Fabray, my son's been going on about your basketball skills. I peeked through the window, you really are as good as he says." Mrs. Puckerman said with a smile. "It's nice to meet you."
"You too." Quinn said shaking her hand.
"Her mom made the cookies!" Puck told his mother with a smile on his face.
"You mean the cookies you've been going on about all week? I swear he's addicted." Mrs. Puckerman said, patting her son on the shoulder.
"All of them are, my mom is using them to take over the world." Quinn deadpanned, though it was obvious she was joking. Everyone ended up laughing.
"Hey if she needs a minion or anything I'm in." Santana said, raising her hand.
"Ditto." Brittany said seriously.
"Come on everyone, sit, eat." Mrs. Puckerman said with a huge smile on her face. She was always happy when her son had friends over. Ever since he started speaking about Quinn he seemed a lot happier and stayed out of trouble. Though when she asked, he didn't seem interested in her romantically. He called her his 'bro' and said she was just a friend.
They finished off dinner soon after, having to be told to stop playing with their food a couple of times (Mainly because Puck and Quinn tried to start a bean fight and got a death glare from both Santana and Mama Puckerman.) and then sat in the living room playing Mario Kart.
"Puck why'd you choose princess peach?" Santana asked with narrowed eyes.
"Bitch is kick ass."
"Noah, language!"
"Sorry mom!"
"I want Bowser!" Brittany said happily and Santana instantly showed her how to choose that character.
"It's a-me-a, Mario." Quinn said in a really bad Italian accent.
"You're a dork-o." Santana teased.
"I'm confused." Brittany said. "I thought she was Quinn."
"Will you two just pick your characters so we can go already?" Puck asked. Buster huffed and dropped his chin into the boy's lap as he tried once again to fall asleep, but these crazy random teenagers kept waking him up.
"Okay all set." Quinn said.
"Ready when you are." Santana replied, having chosen Luigi to combat Quinn's Mario. They all pressed start and started the game. Though it only took five minutes of peace and quiet.
"I can't believe you just threw a shell at me!"
"Don't hate the player, hate the game."
"I don't get it if he hates this game why is she playing?"
"Britt that's not what she means."
"Oh…"
"Did you seriously just throw me off the road?"
"You were in my way."
"Kids keep it down."
"Sorry mom!"
"Sorry Mrs. Puckerman."
And this went on for another hour before Santana looked at her phone.
"Hey Britts, we should get going." She said.
"Already?" Brittany asked.
"Yeah, otherwise we won't have enough time." The Latina said. Brittany nodded.
"You're right. We gotta go guys." The tall blonde said.
"It's cool, see you guys Monday?" Puck asked.
"Sure thing." Santana said.
"See you guys." Quinn said.
"See you Q." Brittany said, giving her a quick hug.
"See you tonight Q!" Santana said with a quick wave before they both left.
"What's tonight?" Puck asked after the two girls left.
"San and I are having dinner." Quinn answered.
"As in…going out to dinner?" Puck asked again. Quinn nodded. "As in a date?"
"No."
"Sure looks like it." Puck said skeptically.
"It's not a date." Quinn said again.
"You sure?"
"Dude, it's just a dinner between two platonic friends. There's absolutely nothing else going on!" Quinn insisted.
"Well that's good, cause, you know how sick Rachel looked when you first said you were going to think about it." Puck reminded her. Quinn rolled her eyes.
"Whatever, she's dating Finn." She grumbled.
"Two wrongs make a right?" Puck asked. Quinn huffed and threw a pillow at him half heartedly.
"It's not a date." Quinn insisted. "And even if it were, it's not like I'm cheating on Rachel or anything! For God's sake she's dating Finn, I should be free to date anyone I want!"
"Okay, but you do know that we ALL know you have the biggest crush on Rachel ever, right?" Puck asked. Quinn sighed again.
"All?"
"Well, all of us except Rachel." Puck said. Quinn rolled her eyes.
"Yipee. Does that mean I'm going to have all four of you up my ass?" She asked.
"Well maybe not Santana, but that's only cause she can't really talk, it's so obvious she's in love with Brittany." Puck answered.
"If you and Kurt did it we'd be one big gay family." Quinn joked numbly.
"Dude. Gross, dude's like my brother." Puck said.
"Whatever. It's not a date." Quinn said, getting back to her defense.
"Good, because it would so be lying to yourself, and Santana to herself." Puck said.
"I know. But in a way that's why we're doing this. We're both stuck in the same situation, might as well bond over it, you know?" Quinn reasoned. Puck nodded.
"Yeah. I get it." Puck said. "You shouldn't give up on her though."
"Finn's a nice guys. He'll treat her right." Quinn said in surrender.
"You love her." Puck pointed out.
"Thanks, Puck. I had no idea." Quinn said sarcastically and rolled her eyes. "I should go, I need to wallow in self pity before I can even think about what to wear tonight."
"God you girls are weird." Puck said, mostly to himself, as Quinn got up, chuckling.
"See you at school dude." She said, giving him a fist bump before she grabbed her stuff and left.
A few hours later, Quinn was parking her Porsche at Breadstix's parking lot. She got out of the car and went into the restaurant were Santana was sitting at her usual booth chatting with a waitress.
"Hey S." Quinn said as she walked up to the booth.
"Hey Q, this is Sandra, neighbor and Childhood friend. Sands, this Quinn from school." Santana introduced. Sandra smiled at Quinn and shook her hand.
"Nice to meet you." The red-headed girl said.
"You too." Quinn said.
"I should leave you two to your date-"
"Not a date." Santana and Quinn said at the same time. Sandra nodded.
"Okay, I'll leave you two to your non-date, then." She corrected with a giggle. "Say hi to your abuela for me S, oh and you guys should try the new olive sticks, they're actually pretty good." She said with a smile before walking away. Quinn slid into the booth across from Santana.
"So what's up?" she asked.
"Not much, Britt thinks we're dating. But it's okay cause you're hot." Santana said and Quinn lofted an eyebrow at her. "By the way she wanted me to ask, you wouldn't be up for a threesome would you-"
"No." Quinn deadpanned. Santana chuckled.
"Chill Fabray, keep your pants on." She said.
"That's exactly what I'm trying to do." Quinn said with a chuckle. "I thought you wanted Britt for yourself?"
"I do, but she doesn't know that. No one does." Santana explained. "Just like no one knows you're all hot and bothered for Berry."
"Santana!" Quinn chastised.
"What? It's true!" Santana said with a teasing laugh.
"Well yeah but you don't have to go shouting it out." Quinn said.
"Oh chill Q! No one can hear us!" Santana waved her off. "Let's get some olive sticks!" she said, biting into a plain bread stick.
"Sure." She said, looking over the menu.
"You want some wine?" Santana asked. Quinn looked at her questioningly.
"Santana, we're under age." Quinn said, as if she needed to point that out.
"Oh sweet innocent little Quinnie." She said, pulling out two fake IDs and tossing one in front of Quinn on the table.
"Emily Stark?" she asked, lofting her eyebrow. "And where did you get my picture?"
"I figured you'd appreciate the name since you seem like a huge super hero nerd." Santana shrugged. "And facebook, duh."
"…I do like Iron Man." She mumbled. "Not the point. This is illegal."
"All the more fun." Santana shrugged before flagging down a waiter.
"Where did you even get these?" Quinn asked again.
"Q do you wanna ask questions or do you wanna get drunk?" Santana asked.
"I need to drive." Quinn said.
"So we'll get the weak stuff, gotch'ya." Santana said and Quinn sighed in resignation as Santana ordered the wine like a pro, so much so that the waiter didn't even bat an eyelash and ask for IDs. "See, nothing to worry about."
"If I crash my porsche it's on you." Quinn said.
"Deal." Santana said non-chalantly. The waiter came over with their bottle of white wine and they ordered their olive sticks.
Across the restaurant at a table, sat Finn and Rachel, laughing at a story Rachel was telling him.
"No way so that was you at the top of the pyramid?" he asked.
"Yep, had just climbed up when the whole thing collapsed!" she explained.
"Oh man." He chuckled. "I remember that! But I didn't see exactly who was on top, cause as soon as Puck and I saw it fall, we went over to coach's office and got the first aid kit for everyone."
"So that was you!" Rachel said. "I knew someone really tall was there! You were still in your helmet, and I hit my head pretty hard on the field that day."
"Yeah I could tell." He teased. She rolled her eyes as she took a sip of her fizzy grape juice. "What even happened that day?"
"A girl sneezed on the bottom tier, which knocked the two girls she was holding up off balance, which created a domino effect until I was concussed for a whole week." Rachel explained.
"That was crazy though." Finn replied Rachel nodded.
"Coach Sylvester was livid because she couldn't legally make her cheerios practice no matter what." Rachel said. Finn chuckled.
"Somehow I'm not surprised." He said before sipping his soda. "Was anyone hurt too badly though? I know one girl was taken to the hospital."
"You know neck brace girl?" Rachel asked.
"Yeah?" Finn said with a nod.
"Before that incident, she was just known at Jordan." Rachel stated.
"Damn." Finn cringed. Rachel gave a firm nod. He chuckled a little before his eyes drifted off to the side. He furrowed his eyebrows a little at what he saw.
"Everything okay?" Rachel asked.
"Yeah it's just…" he thought for a second. "Is that Quinn and Santana sitting at that booth?"
Rachel turned around at that, looking in the same direction Finn was, and looked around until she spotted a very familiar blonde sitting with an all too familiar brunette and laughing at something the latter was saying. She stared for just a second, a little shocked and more disappointed than she had expected. It was only when a pair of hazel eyes came into contact with hers that she turned back around, taking a large sip of her drink.
"You okay?" Finn asked with a raised eyebrow that, Rachel noticed, was not much compared to Quinn's. Stupid blonde and her stupid eyebrows. She shook her head subtly and smiled at him.
"Yeah. I'm great." She said, even though something inside of her was screaming 'liar!'
Quinn was laughing, nearly choking on her wine, as Santana told her story.
"Wait, wait." She stopped her for a second. "So the whole pyramid collapsed?"
"Yep." Santana nodded with a chuckle. "One sneeze."
"Brought down the whole pyramid?" Quinn asked. Santana nodded.
"It threw the two girls above her off balance and the whole thing dominoed down." Santana explained. "Sue was furious, I thought she was gonna bust a vein or something. Half the team was injured."
"Oh my God." Quinn said. "Any serious ones though?"
"Jordan's still wearing the neck brace!" Santana said.
"Who's Jordan?" Quinn asked with a lofted eye brow.
"Neck brace girl." Santana said.
"Oh…" Quinn trailed off. Santana chuckled.
"Wine making you fuzzy, Fabray?" Santana said with a chuckle as she picked off a piece of her olive bread stick and popped it into her mouth. Quinn giggled a little.
"Fuzzy Fabray sound funny." She said. "Whoa…alliteration."
"English nerd." Santana shot.
"You tease until you're failing and then you'll be begging for my help." Quinn teased back.
"You'll be waiting for a long ass time if you think that's ever gonna happen." Santana laughed as she popped another piece into her mouth. Quinn chuckled as she looked off into the distance a little. Something caught her eye, two people sitting at a table together. She didn't recognize them until a pair of dark brown eyes met hers, and she looked down at the table instead.
"What's up?" Santana asked, looking in that direction. She saw what Quinn had just seen, Finn and Rachel sitting at a table together. She turned back to the blonde and took her hand gently.
"It's okay." She said softly.
"Whatever." Quinn said with a sigh, grabbing her half-full wine glass and downing the rest.
"Hey easy, you need to drive remember?" Santana chided.
"I'll be fine." Quinn shrugged.
"Will you?" Santana asked again.
"Yes." Quinn answered a little too irritably. Santana shrugged.
"Fine." She said, looking at her, daring her to say she'll be fine again. Quinn just rolled her
eyes and sat back in her seat, picking off a piece of the olive stick in front of her and taking a bite.
She was quiet for the next few minutes until their food came to the table, and then she dug in, trying to get the fog in her mind to clear enough for her to be able to drive. Santana watched her every move, only getting her eyes off of the blonde to observe Rachel a little bit. The brunette seemed to be spending extra effort in not looking their way, even so much as lifting her elbow up on the table and resting her hand on her face, covering her right eye and effectively blocking her peripheral vision of that side.
Luckily, she was able to get Quinn laughing again, talking about another incident that happened during Cheerios practice. Though the alcohol helped a little. By the time they had gotten to desert, Quinn had a smile on her face and had probably forgotten about Rachel sitting across the other end of the restaurant.
They were giggling their asses off as they walked out into the parking lot, Quinn holding on to Santana's arm so that they could keep each other from falling over.
"You're drunk!" Santana cackled
"Am not!" Quinn denied as she rested her back against her car.
"Are too!" Santana accused again through a laugh.
"Liar, liar pants on fire!" Quinn teased. Santana grabbed her clutch bag and chucked it at her head. Quinn ducked and the bag landed in the car. The blonde quickly shot up again declaring "Miss me, miss me! Now you gotta kiss me!"
"Is that a challenge Fabray?!" Santana said.
"Bring it Lopez!" Quinn said cockily. Santana walked up to her, cupping the back of her neck and pulling her down, pressing their lips together.
Just then, the door to the restaurant opened and two people walked out.
"Whoa." Finn said.
"What?" Rachel said, she was looking at her phone, texting her dad, until the tall boy had spoken. She lowered her phone and saw Quinn and Santana, attached at the lips.
Monday started strangely for Quinn. She had received a text from Rachel telling her not to pick her up, and that her father would take her. When she texted back asking if the brunette was okay, all she got in reply was 'I'm fine.'
apart from that, Kurt was constantly on the verge of having a heart attack.
"I am freaking out." he declared for the fifth time
"Breathe." Quinn reminded him again
"Very good advice Quinn, have you considered being a career counsellor?" Kurt snarked.
"Misdirected frustration." Quinn stated. "Maybe you should talk to Rachel?"
"Yeah where is she?" Kurt asked. Just then, a flash of brown hair zipped past them. Quinn lofted her eyebrow and followed her to her locker.
"Hey Rachel." She said.
"Hello Quinn." Rachel said formally, not even looking over at her.
"Are you okay?" Quinn asked.
"Just fine, thank you. If you'll excuse me, I need to get to class." And she shut her locker, turning around and walking away without another word.
"Well that was weird." Quinn said.
"It seems she's upset with you." Kurt pointed out.
"Yeah but what for?" Quinn asked. Kurt shrugged.
"You should talk to her at lunch." he suggested.
"It doesn't seem like she'd want me to do that." Quinn sighed sadly.
"Did something happen this weekend?" Kurt asked.
"Not really, I just went out to dinner with Santana." She explained.
"You WHAT?!" Kurt said. Quinn rolled her eyes.
"It wasn't a date." she groaned.
"I see. so why is Rachel so upset with you?" Kurt asked.
"I don't know! Besides, she was out on a date with Finn! even if it was a date she would have no right." Quinn huffed, running her fingers through her hair. "God this is annoying." she said as the bell rang and she walked off in the other direction, despite the fact that they all had class together.
"This is turning out to be an interesting Monday…" Kurt mused to himself before he followed his best friend.
It wasn't bothering her, it just wasn't. The idea that it was bothering her at all was total inconceivable. Ludicrous. Ridiculous…She ran out of adjectives. But she was not, repeat, NOT, upset about it.
Or that's what she wanted herself to believe, but she knew, all too well, that deep down inside, the image of Quinn and Santana kissing in that parking lot broke her heart.
Worse yet, the way Quinn approached her this morning, like nothing happened, like she hadn't upset her-well…okay maybe that was unfair, she was openly dating Finn, Quinn couldn't possibly know she was upset with her. So why WAS she so upset?
Because your ass has repressed feelings for Quinn Her inner Santana all but shouted at her.
Oh, right.
She sighed as she sat at her seat in class. The only thought that could go through her mind at that moment was how a rivalry transpired into a friendship which was leading to Rachel having a crush on a girl. It confused her, it irked her, what's more, it annoyed her that she couldn't do a damned thing about it.
She already tasted what it was like to be discriminated against, called an abomination, just because her fathers were gay. She held no resentment towards them, but she did have to work hard in getting her place in the school's hierarchy.
Sure, she was bi, she could see herself with a girl, but she'd never had a crush on one before. Or at least...she didn't think...oh God. What if I had a crush on Quinn all along?!
Suddenly she was brought out of her thoughts by Santana's shrill voice
"Rachel!" the latina called loudly into her ear.
"Ow! Jesus, Santana!" Rachel exclaimed.
"Said the Jew." Santana chuckled. "What's up tiny?"
"Nothing." Rachel said grimly, crossing her arms and looking ahead of herself, refusing to look at her friend.
"What's got your panties in a twist?" Santana asked with a raised eyebrow.
"I said nothing!" Rachel reiterated aggravatedly.
"Sure doesn't seem that way." Santana muttered. Rachel literally growled at her and she raised her hands up in surrender. "Okay okay, chill cap, you'll pop a vein."
Rachel huffed and sat back in her seat. The fact that she was so aggravated at this whole situation only made her angrier, at herself. When Quinn walked in, her heart sank again, making her anger at Santana subside into sadness. Quinn took one sad look at her, looked down to the ground, and walked to the desk behind her, sitting directly behind Santana. Kurt sat behind Rachel and scribbled something on a note before carefully shooting it so that it landed directly on the brunette's desk. Thank God for his dad teaching him sports and raising him with immaculate aim. Rachel picked up the note and opened it.
What is going on? - Kurt
Rachel quickly scribbled a response and leaned back in her seat, pretended she was stretching and dropped the note on his desk.
Long story. Walk me home after Cheerios try outs, I'll tell you then - R
Kurt raised his eyebrow at this, but he shrugged and accepted the plan, at least it would save him from Quinn's reckless driving and Puck's insistence of loud music.
when their teacher came in, the first thing she said made two people groan internally.
"Students! I hope you're working on that project of yours, we'll be presenting them at the end of the term just before we break for vacation." She reminded them. Quinn sighed and Rachel groaned. They had all but forgotten about the damned project, which meant working together. It was almost as if they had gone back to square one, except for the fact that they didn't hate each other. But sometimes, the opposite isn't a much better situation.
The day felt weird for everyone. Kurt was panicked about his try out, having practiced his routine with Rachel all day both days of the weekend, he was afraid of slipping, making a fool of himself, getting ridiculed by Sylvester, or falling and breaking his neck. Either way he was screwed.
Rachel was annoyed and upset, at both Quinn, Santana, and herself. She was confused about what was going on, but she hated how she was feeling. In a nutshell: The internal conflict was killing her.
Quinn wasn't sure what Rachel's problem was, why she was so upset with her, but she hated it. she missed the banter, the jokes, the hugs. Everything. On top of that, she was still a little bothered about seeing her on a date with Finn. Sure, she knew the brunette was dating him, but actually seeing them on a date together, it made it too real for her.
Santana had no idea what Rachel's problem was, and it pissed her off. If the head cheerleader was going to be so annoyed at her, she could at least give her a reason. Worse yet, Santana couldn't possibly think of anything she'd done to piss the shorter brunette off, they had just re-established their friendship after the slushie mishap, so what could have possible ticked her off?
Brittany was worried. She could feel the tension between her friends, and it bothered her. She didn't know what was going on, but she knew Santana was upset, kind of angry. And so was Rachel. Quinn was sad, which made her sad because she wanted all her friends to be happy.
Puck was just confused.
That there is the exact equation for a very awkward lunch conversation. The seating arrangement alone was much different. Kurt sat next to Rachel, who sat in the middle between him and Brittany, Quinn sat across from Kurt, and Santana across from Brittany which left Puck literally in the middle of a mess he had no part in and ho no clue about.
"So…" he sighed, trying to make up a conversation. "Q, you ready for that game in two weeks?"
"Yeah." Quinn practically hummed before biting into her sandwich. Her voice held no enthusiasm, which did not help.
"Kurt, you excited for cheerios try outs?" the mo hawked boy attempted. Kurt shot him a panicky glare which just shut him up. Until he remembered something again.
"Hey S, Q, How'd dinner go on Saturday?" He asked. Rachel shot up from her seat almost immediately.
"Excuse me." she said before leaving the cafeteria. everyone shot up an eyebrow each in confusion, except for Brittany.
"What's her deal?" Puck asked.
"I don't know." Quinn said.
"Beats the fuck outta me." Santana mumbled at the same time.
"She's upset." Brittany said.
"Yes but what about?" Kurt asked.
"Isn't it obvious?" the tall blonde asked. This caught everyone's attention and they all looked at her to continue.
"Apparently not." Puck said.
"She's upset cause Q and San had a date on Saturday." Brittany finished.
"It wasn't a date." Santana and Quinn spoke up simultaneously.
"But San you told me you totally made out in the parking lot." Brittany piped up. Santana covered her face in her hands while Puck and Kurt basically screamed 'WHAT?!'
"We were drunk." Quinn defended
"We didn't make out, it was just a kiss." Santana said.
"And we were drunk." Quinn repeated.
"I'm having issues processing this." Kurt dead panned.
"I'm just pissed that I missed it cause...hot." Puck said, which earned him a slap on the back of the head and a punch in the shoulder from each side. "ow!"
"Anyway, Rachel's upset cause of that." Brittany said.
"But...why?" Quinn asked.
"Because, she totally has the hots for you." the blonde said. Quinn's eyes went wide.
"How do you know that?" she asked.
"Because it's totally obvious." Brittany answered. Quinn shook her head.
"No way, Rachel's straight-"
"Bi." Kurt corrected.
"Right. But either way, she's with Finn." Quinn finished.
"Just because you're with someone doesn't mean you can't love anyone else." Brittany said. "Otherwise we wouldn't be able to love our friends. And that would suck. I would hate not being able to love any of you."
Santana just smiled proudly, her heart swelling. Quinn shook her head, now she was having trouble processing all of this.
"I have to go, I'll see you guys later." she said, getting up and leaving the cafeteria as well.
Kurt walked into the gym five minutes early, walking over to the bleachers where Rachel sat, having already arrived, with her elbows resting on her lap and her chin in her hand.
"I'm reminded of a kicked puppy." Kurt commented as he sat next to her. "Is this about Quinn?"
"How'd you know?!" Rachel exclaimed, her voice echoing in the empty gym.
"Brittany." Kurt said simply. Rachel sighed, dropping her chin back into her hand.
"I don't know what's going on Kurt." she said softly. Kurt wrapped an arm around her shoulder.
"What do you mean?" he asked, so he could know the situation fully before offering advice.
"I know I said I was bi. But I've never actually been with a girl, or had a crush on one. I just know I am cause I can see myself being with a girl, fully, even sexually...but." she sighed.
"But…?" Kurt said, nudging her to continue.
"I've never felt the way about anyone the way I do about Quinn." Rachel said.
"Sweetie…" Kurt said.
"No, Kurt you don't understand. Whenever I'm in my bed, I want to be in her arms, not Finn's. When I get a text, I'm secretly hoping it's her, not Finn. Finn's my boyfriend. So why can't I feel that way about him?" Rachel ranted, finally stopping to catch her breath.
"Sweetie you can't control feelings like these." Kurt said gently. "You can't choose which gender to like, and you can't choose who you fall in love with, you just have to let yourself embrace it. Trust me, when you finally accept how you feel, you'll be much happier."
"I can't." Rachel said, a tear slipping from her eye.
"Why not?" Kurt asked, his eyebrow furrowed just a bit.
"My dads." Rachel said. "Do you have any idea what kind of backlash they'll be under if I start dating a girl? There'll be a mob outside their door shouting bloody murder."
"Don't you think you're exaggerating just a little?" Kurt asked.
"Kurt, it's Lima." Rachel said. Kurt sighed and nodded.
"Okay so maybe you're right. But what are you going to do?" he asked.
"I don't know." she muttered sadly. "But I sure as hell can't break up with Finn. Besides, I actually do hold some feelings for him."
"We'll figure this out." Kurt said, planting a soft kiss on her temple. "But for now, I think we should get a move on. Sylvester and the rest of the potentials will be here soon."
"Yeah. You're right." Rachel said, perking herself up and standing, turning to him with a determined smile. "I need to get your ass on the cheerios."
"You do. That way, at least there'll be one talented person on this team." He said teasingly before walking towards the locker room. Rachel gave an indignant gasp.
"You take that back Kurt Elizabeth Hummel!" she said, following him.
Try outs started, and he took his place in the bleachers. His hands were shaking as he looked over at Rachel, who was sitting at the table in the middle of the gym in between Sue and Santana, who was her second in command, and also seemed incredibly bored.
There were only two spots on the team, and he was nervous as all hell. He had been good at gymnastics, but out of practice for a year. When he practiced his routine with Rachel, he had been rusty until the last moment when he stuck the landing perfectly. Now he just hoped that he could duplicate it.
"Next!" Sue shouted into her megaphone. "Don't you dare darken this gym with your mediocracy ever again."
The girl who had just been stopped from her routine of rhythmic gymnastics ran out of the gym in tears. Kurt gulped, he was next.
"Kurt Elizabeth-Oh are you serious?" the woman sighed. Rachel leaned over, muttering something to the older blonde, who seemed to be appeased. "Porcelain, get your shiny white butt out here!"
He took a deep breath and walked out into the middle of the gym, right in front of Sue Sylvester.
"Alright Porcelain, impress me." The cheerio coach said, taking off her glasses and leaning back in her seat, crossing her arms and legs in a relaxed position. From beside her, Rachel winked encouragingly.
He walked to his starting position, did a run up, pushed himself off his feet and landed on his hands, flipping once, twice, three times, before kicking off the ground into a high jump and into a front flip in the air, landing on his feet and bending his knees to relieve some of the force of the landing. He did it.
When he looked at the people sitting at the table, he got two reactions. Rachel was smiling giddily, giving him a subtle double thumbs-up. Santana and Sue Sylvester however looked at him with eyes wide and mouths agape. They were both sitting up straight in their seats now.
"Holy-" Sue muttered.
"How did-" Santana tried to ask. He chanced a small smile at them. Rachel leaned over to the coach.
"coach?" she said, trying to get the older woman's attention.
"You're in!" Sue called out suddenly, shooting up into a standing position. Kurt squealed before he stopped himself.
"Really?" he asked.
"Did I stutter, porcelain?" Sue asked.
"No ma'am." he said.
"Good. give Ray your size and collect your uniform tomorrow before practice." she said, writing something down on her list. Kurt hopped giddily while he wasn't looking.
"Thank you coach!" he said, running off to the locker room.
"And that, ladies, is the picture of pure talent." Sue said, a little proudly. "Now which poor soul has to try and top that?"
Eventually, it came down to Becky Jackson. A decision which confused both Rachel and Santana, but they wouldn't question it, they were too scared to.
Quinn was outside shooting at the hoop in the driveway of her house.
"Quinn!" she heard a squeal. She turned around and two arms were wrapped around her neck.
"What the-"
"I did it!" Kurt squealed again. "I made it into cheerios!"
"What?!" she said, pulling him away. he grinned at her and she smiled. "Oh man that's awesome!"
Kurt hugged her again, this time she hugged him back, as he squealed in joy once more.
"What in the name of- What's all that noise?" Judy Fabray asked as she opened the front door.
"Just some dramatic happiness mom." Quinn said.
"What happened?" she asked, approaching the hugging teenagers.
"I got into cheerios!" Kurt told her as he pulled away from her daughter.
"What? You did?!" Judy asked, a grin cracking on her face.
"I did!" he said. Judy wrapped her arms around him happily.
"Oh Kurt that's wonderful!" she gushed. "I am so proud of you."
Kurt grinned as he hugged her back, a single tear sliding down his cheek as he was held by the woman who was a mother to him after his own was taken away.
"Well come on you two." Judy said as she pulled away. "Let's go inside and celebrate!"
Rachel was sitting at her computer, typing away at an essay, when her facebook chat gave her the popping sound which indicated a new message.
Quinn Fabray: Hey…
She sighed, trying to ignore the tug at her heart as she read the message five times before she typed out a response.
Rachel Berry: Hey.
Quinn Fabray: I missed you today.
Rachel Berry: You saw me today.
Quinn Fabray: I know, but you and I both know it wasn't the same as every other day.
Rachel Berry: Yeah, you're right.
Quinn Fabray: What happened?
Rachel Berry: I'd really rather not talk about it.
Quinn Fabray: Are you okay though?
Rachel Berry: I'm perfectly fine.
Quinn Fabray: So why the storm out in the cafeteria?
Rachel Berry: I was just in a bad mood today okay?
Quinn Fabray: Yeah, Santana told me you snapped at her too.
Rachel Berry: Exactly. I was just a little frustrated.
Quinn Fabray: Cheerios try outs?
Rachel Berry: Yes, Sue always has to be the pickiest person ever, and it's annoying and takes hours. This one must have been the easiest one yet to be honest.
Quinn Fabray: Kurt told me she seemed impressed with him.
Rachel Berry: We all were, Santana could barely speak after his routine. The only reason I wasn't flabbergasted was because I helped him out with it.
Quinn Fabray: He's really happy about making the squad.
Rachel Berry: He seemed so, I'm glad. At least one of us was happy today.
Quinn Fabray: But you should be better tomorrow, right?
Rachel Berry: Is that your backwards way of asking me if I'll talk to you tomorrow?
Quinn Fabray: Maybe…
Rachel Berry: Subtle, Fabray.
Rachel Berry: And yes, I'll talk to you tomorrow.
Quinn Fabray: :D
Rachel Berry: You're such a geek.
Quinn Fabray: You love it, don't even try to deny it.
Rachel Berry: Yeah, you're right…
Quinn Fabray: What's with the ellipses?
Rachel Berry: The what?
Quinn Fabray: The three dots.
Rachel Berry: It's nothing, just held my dot key too long.
Quinn Fabray: Oh, okay. Well I gotta hit the hay. See you tomorrow!
Rachel Berry: Goodnight Quinn.
Quinn Fabray: Goodnight Rach.
And suddenly the green dot next to Quinn's name disappeared, she went offline.
Rachel sighed, going back to work on her essay and finishing it before she shut her computer off and crawled into bed.
The next morning, she had pushed away all the jealousy, anger and hurt that she had felt the day before. And she was more than ready for this totally 100% normal day.
Or so she thought.
As the entire gang walked into the school, she was approached by Finn.
"Hey Rachel, can I talk to you?" he asked. She smiled up at him, a smile which fell when she saw the worried look on his face.
"Of course Finn, is everything okay?" she asked. He shook his head, taking her hand and leading her away.
"I'm really sorry about this." he started.
"Finn you're scaring me, what's going on?" she asked.
"My dad just got a promotion in his job, which is great, but they're also transferring him to Louisiana." he said.
"What?" Rachel asked, not even sure what any of that meant.
"Rachel, we're moving."