Chapter Text
"WHAT?!"
Both cheerleaders sprang forward almost colliding with the oak desk in front of them. On the other side sat their cheerleading coach Sue Sylvester, leaning back in her chair a gleeful smirk formed on her lips, she beamed wickedly as both girls rose to their feet. The blonde cheerleader, Quinn Fabray began shouting incoherently while the dark haired Latino Santana Lopez threw her arms wildly around her head whilst Spanish flew angrily from her mouth.
"Ladies..."
They both ignored her and continued their tirade
"Ladies..."
They ignored her again.
"Shut the hell up" Sue shouted above their ramblings, they both stopped and turned to their coach, Santana crossed her arms over her chest and pouted while Quinn shook her head and placed one hand on her hip and stared off into the opposite direction.
Chapter 1
"Please don't be there, please don't be there" Rachel pleaded as she peeked around the corner, her heart froze and she stepped back. Of course, they were there, they were always there. Leaning, giggling and making her life hell. There must have been over a thousand lockers in this school, in all different hallways, so why was she the unlucky one who had to have one next to Quinn fucking Fabray. Rachel let her eyes find the ceiling while cursing the god she didn’t quite believe in, her doubt stemming from the fact she had to endure hell every morning at the hands of her unrelenting bullies headed by the great Quinn Fabray.
Rachel looked again, Quinn was standing at her own locker probably hiding her latest sacrifices head while Santana Lopez stood with one shoulder against Rachel's locker. She had her back to her so Rachel could only imagine she was sharpening her talons with the nail file she periodically waved when talking. They looked settled, like they had no intention on vacating the area anytime soon. Taking a breath, she steadied herself, pulled at the hem of her yellow argyle jumper and smooth down her blue pleated shirt before taking each side of her brown hair in her hand and smoothed that down too. She squared her shoulders, threw her hair behind them and began walking towards her doom.
“excuse me” she sighed arriving behind Santana quicker than she expected to. Santana looked over her shoulder rolled her eyes and turned back to her nails.
"Santana, I need into my locker", Rachel pleaded, Quinn this time looked up and smirked at Santana but she still didn’t budge.
Rachel raised her hand up and placed it on Santana's shoulder, the Latino instantly spun around and faced Rachel waving the nail file in the air, recoiling in horror as though she just had acid thrown down her back.
"Did you actually just touch me with your man-hands?" Rachel took a step back, as Santana stepped in her face menacingly. She cowered from the taller girl, her eyes finding the floor,
"I'm sorry, I just needed in my locker"
The entire student body seemed to appear around them and Rachel became very aware of this, her eyes travelling each set of eyes as they devilishly looked on in anticipation for her fate. She looked to Quinn who had snapped to Santana's side, accepting that this was how she would die. She could already feel both sets of hands around her neck. Squeezing her young life out of her body. She was on the cusp of greatness, this after all was how the greats died. Young and before they had the chance to shine properly. Squeezing her eyes shut she waited for the first blow.
It hadn't always been like this, in middle school she was happy, she enjoyed going every day, she was getting straight A’s, singing in school productions, and had a best friend Lucy. Who she did everything with, EVERYTHING from sleepovers to practising first kisses. They had great plans for the rest of their life, high school would be a breeze, they would have all the same classes, they would spend lunch gossiping, Rachel would join a drama club, Lucy would join the school paper or yearbook club where she could take pictures all day long. They would both graduate top of their class, maybe even be class president or valedictorian. College would be even better, they'd be roommates, they would have independence, their own space and become the successful adults they were bound to become. Rachel never thought it would come to this.
The ideology of their lives together crashed around Rachel's feet on the first day of high school. Rachel's fathers had taken her travelling Europe for the entire summer vacation. When she returned, Lucy had vanished off the surface of the Earth, her phone calls and texts went un-replied. She went to her house, she was turned away. Lucy's Facebook page had also disappeared, there was literally no trace of her best friend. The first day of High school was more daunting now that her best friend was no longer by her side. She searched the corridor for her new locker, excitement buzzing all around her. Eventually finding it she stood there just looking at it until a body swerved in beside her, she looked quickly to her right and smiled at the blonde before turning back to her locker but her head snapped back.
"Lucy?"
Her eyes travelled the unknown slim body beside her up to the newly dyed blonde hair. Rachel was ignored. She moved closer but the blonde shifted away.
"Lucy why won't you talk to me?" she was ignored again
"LUCY!"
"My name is Quinn" she said through gritted teeth only loud enough for Rachel to hear her.
"What?" Confusion filled her face, Lucy/Quinn suddenly moved meanly towards Rachel pinning her against the metal locker, Rachel was scared, she had never seen this anger in Lucy's eyes before, she grimaced when the blonde moved closer, still gritting her teeth
"If you tell anyone my real name or who I am, l will make you regret it" she snarled. With that she backed off and sauntered down the hall. The rest of the student body watched on with anticipated eyes, a look Rachel would come to know all too well.
"What's going on?"
Rachel opened her eyes to see Mr Schuester had appeared, looking between the 3 girls he waited for his answer
"Berry was just giving us our homework assignment from English" Quinn answered, Rachel shot her eyes up to her former best friend, who simply cocked her perfectly shaped eyebrow challenging Rachel to say otherwise.
"Rachel?" he queried, looking at her with soft eyes, he knew the truth. He knew this wasn’t a friendly interaction but he also knew she would lie, which she did seconds later. Nodding solemnly she moved towards her locker and pulled out a folder before handing it to Quinn, a wicked smiled formed on the cheerleaders lips knowing she had Rachel exactly where she wanted her. He was disappointed in her for not telling the truth. The entire faculty knew of this but could do nothing because Rachel would always lie and tell them nothing was going on. He hated that his hands where tied.
"Right" he sighed "get to class"
Rachel watched him walk away, silently begging for him to come back when she noticed Santana's eyes where still focused on her but the second bell went and Quinn tugged on Santana's arm
"She's not worth another detention"
Santana thought for a second before relenting, she really couldn't afford another detention, Quinn was right, she had too many this month, one more meant she would miss a practise which would have been the worst thing in the world considering their meeting earlier that morning. Reluctantly she turned off her laser stare.
"Next time" She grunted and moved to the other side of Quinn, both when they were about to walk away Quinn lunged at Rachel. The small girl jumped back and landed against her locked with a thud, Quinn thrusted the folder into her stomach and Rachel winced at being winded. “Next time for sure” The cheerleader threw her a fake smile before looping her arm in Santana’s, their cackle dissipating with more distance.
"Hey Rachel you ok?"
She most definitely was not ok, but when she turned and saw the schools quarterback Finn Hudson standing beside her with a worried look on his face, she suddenly felt semi-ok. She smiled for the first time this morning.
"Yes thank you Finn"
She beamed but realised she was beaming just a little too much when his eyes turned from worried to a little frightened and he looked around both to make sure there where witnesses.
"You know, um, Quinn doesn’t, I mean, she isn't" he stumbled over his words and scratched the back of his neck dumbly, Rachel found it endearing but rolled her eyes knowing that he was of course going to defend his girlfriend. She expected him to, but she hated it, he was too good to defend her, he was too good for her, he should be with someone like her, no, he should be with her. Her body warmed itself as her imagination ran to thoughts of Finn kissing her, she felt s mile form along her lips which she quickly controlled when she realised that Finn was still rambling on without saying anything.
He was so cute, she had never really noticed or knew who he was before he suddenly and unexplainably joined the Glee club, but she was more than glad he did. His voice matched perfectly with hers it was inevitable she would develop feelings for him, the fact he had the most perfect eyes was just the cherry on the top.
"Rach?" That was it she nearly died on the spot at the shortening of her name. He was just the cutest. She dreamily eyed him and dreamily felt the smile form across her lips.
"Rachel, I better get to class" He side stepped her and looked worriedly at her just standing there smiling inanely but not saying anything. He rushed off taking one last look over his shoulder.
The final bell ringing above her head brought her back into reality. She looked around wondering when he left.
Santana, Quinn, and Brittany, where scowering the school cafeteria, their eyes wandering from student to student. Dismissing each until Santana’s eyes fell on Rachel sitting alone in the far corner, holding a sandwich, and looking around warily.
“I got it, RuPaul!” a wicked smile spread across her lips and Quinn’s eye widened in horror instantly falling on Rachel. Knowing exactly where she was, she always knew.
“You cannot be serious” she muttered out flicking her eyes back to Santana as the wicked smile spread reminiscent of the Grinch’s making Quinn’s stomach fall with absolute dread. “Anyone but her Santana” she pleaded
“Them’s the rules Q, I pick the victim, but if you don’t want to go ahead…” she leaned back in her chair but Quinn stood up and banged her tray down on the table “No, I’m in!” and with that she walked out of the cafeteria, Finn following behind her.
Quinn walked down the busy school corridor and the other students parted like the red sea to allow her to move through, she would never get tired of that feeling. It made her feel like the most powerful and important person in the world. Before high school she was a no-one and nobody paid her attention but now she was the most popular girl in school, every girl wanted to be her and every guy wanted to get with her. In just over a year she had went from a ghost to the head cheerleader and homecoming queen. The next thing she craved was Prom Queen. By dating Finn Hudson, she should have been a shoe in but after what Sue told them, she was a little further away from that goal that she thought, and was she hell gonna sit back and not do anything about it.
Entering the biology classroom her eyes scanned the room until they found their target, moving over to the bench she slid in and took the seat next to Rachel who was watching her every move carefully. Trying to fathom why the blonde had suddenly presented herself as her unofficial new lab partner. The minutes ticked by without a word being said, that was until Tina, Rachel's actual lab partner and fellow glee club member had arrived for class and confusingly stared at the pair.
"QQ-Quinn ttt-that's my sss-seat" Tina dropped her eyes to the desk but instantly felt the heat from Quinn’s eyes burning in the crown of head.
"Not today it isn't" Quinn declared while throwing her book down on the desk and flipping it over to today's page, Rachel noted it was the wrong page while Tina stood still rocking from foot to foot trying to build up the courage to argue her seat.
"b-but.."
"Stumbles, did I stutter? What do you not understand? Go fuck off and find another fucking desk!"
Tina looked to Rachel who looked back horrified before shrugging apologetically. Tina fought back the urge to run from the class crying, their altercation had aroused her classmate’s attention and she wanted to be anywhere but here. She lowered her head even further and shuffled to the back of the class and found the only other empty seat next to stoner Brett and sat down avoiding making eye contact from the glares from everyone in the room.
"You didn't have to be so mean" Rachel fixed her eyes on her own book as she flipped to the correct page and pulled out a pen from her pencil case.
"Whatever" Quinn muttered as Rachel shook her head
"What happened to you?"
Quinn snapped her head to Rachel, anger bursting through her expression, words ready to flow angrily at her but she controlled herself when Ms Edmund the Biology teacher stepped into the room, she ran her eyes over the students counting them but stopped at Quinn before looking to Rachel, her eyebrow quirked at the change but instead of questioning she shook her head and went to the board.
"Change of plans class, instead of individually dissecting a rat after many many debates from a certain member of the class I will do it under the projector and you will take notes"
Everyone groaned and instantly looked to Rachel, except from Quinn who continued to stare at the board, trying to force the burning anger to dissipate.
"Ok get ready to take notes on the diagram" Ms Edmund instructed while she set herself up at the front of the class
Quinn looked to her book confusingly not able to locate the required diagram, Rachel watched her from the corner of her eye before sighing and reaching over flicking the page over to the correct page, for a brief second Quinn forgot herself and looked at Rachel offering a small smile of thanks and Rachel saw a flash of her former best friend but just as quick the smile dropped into a scowl.
A few moments later Ms Edmund had already pinned the rat to the board and was beginning to peel back the skin when Quinn leaned slightly into Rachel's space,
"Are you busy after school?"
Rachel stopped taking notes and looked around the room to see who Quinn was talking to, no-one was paying them attention their eyes where all fixed at the screen, most with disgusted eyes and some with delighted, Rachel began to worry about the delighted eyes.
"Well are you busy or not?" Quinn asked through practically gritted teeth
"Why?"
"Just answer the question!"
Rachel thought for a moment, recalling the events of this morning when Quinn practically promised her she would get her later, she imagined every possible outcome, all ending very badly for Rachel, but as always her curiosity got the better of her.
"I have Glee club but nothing after that why?"
"Can I come over?"
"What for?"
Quinn rolled her eyes,
"Look can I come over or not?"
"I don't think that's a good idea, my dad’s will be there"
"Oh" Quinn forgot about Rachel's dads, they would probably hate her now and that thought brought a little sadness to her but she batted it away. "Well can you meet me after Glee?"
"What for?" Rachel looked at her trying to read her as she continued to stare in the direction of the board
"I want to talk to you"
"Why?"
"You're so frustrating, can you meet me or not?"
"I'm afraid I'm going to have to respectively decline"
Quinn huffed and gathered her stuff before sliding off her stool and stomping towards the back of the class and back to her seat, forcing Tina once again to move. This time she was happy to and almost burst with joy at taking back her rightful position
"W-what did she want?" she asked
"I have no idea" Rachel said looking back over shoulder to Quinn who was glaring back at her.
Rachel's head was still reeling by the end of the day, for a brief second she let herself think that maybe just maybe Quinn had decided to be Lucy again and was trying to make amends but she shook herself from those thoughts, a sense of dread pumping through her veins overtook any form of wishful hoping. She was sure that this was some mean ploy to embarrass and destroy her orchestrated by Quinn, Santana and Brittany A.K.A the unholy trinity
She missed Lucy, she missed her kindness, she missed her laugh, she missed always having someone to talk to and she missed having someone who understood her crazy. She felt like Lucy had died, she grieved for her like she had. Sure in reality she was very much alive and the remnants where still there but Quinn's body shape had changed from plump to slim, her hair from murky brown to shining blonde and her acne skin clear and bright without as much a shadow. she had also became very mean and downright horrible to everyone, But her eyes, by gosh her eyes still shone the way they always had, they just seemed a little jaded. In biology class in the moments when no-one spoke she felt all was right with the world again, but then when Quinn spoke to her she was reminded of every harsh word, every hit she received and every face slushy she had received at the hands of Quinn and she realized that the version of the girl she loved was long gone and in its place was the vile Quinn.
She was walking along the side walk trying to shield herself from the wind that was whipping up around her cheeks, It was mid-October and the temperature was dropping on a daily basis, Rachel pulled her burgundy duffel coat tighter around her body trying to dig her hands deeper in the pockets, wondering why her dads hadn't bought her a car yet, sure she hadn't actually passed drivers Ed yet but if she had a car she would be more inclined to. She really should get on that, deciding the best course of action would be to go to her daddy first, he was easier to convince and he in turn would convince her dad. She had just reached the cross walk when a red beetle screeched to halt in front of her and the passenger window slid down.
Looking through the empty space she saw Quinn looking back at her,
"Get in" Quinn demanded
"You don't take no for an answer do you?"
"Rachel get in the car" Quinn was growing more and more impatient with each rejection
Rachel looked apprehensively around herself still looking for the punchline to whatever joke this was, considering getting in the car.
"Get in the fucking car RuPaul!"
Rachel stood up straight and laughed to herself, scolding herself for relenting for even just a second, she turned on her heel and began walking again, the car moved and stopped just a few feet ahead of Rachel, she changed direction again and made an attempt to cross over the road but Quinn had got out the car and quickly caught up to her, the blonde reached out and managed to curl her fingers around Rachel's wrist practically swinging her whole body around to face her.
"Just hear me out" she pleaded
"Nothing you have to say interests me" Rachel had now managed to snap her hand free and walk off leaving a dumbfounded Quinn staring after her.
She sighed watching the brunette disappear out of sight, when she began to walk back to her car she fought back the tear that threatened her eye, she would be lying if she said Rachel's constant rejection didn't hurt her feelings, but she did what she always did and banished those feelings, something she had become outstanding at recently.
Quinn walked through the door and as it shut behind her she lay her back on it, she looked up to the ceiling and closed her eyes. Relieved to be back at her sanctuary for a brief second before she remembered that it was now tainted. She allowed herself a few more seconds’ solace before opening her eyes and pushing herself off from the door.
"Dad?" she called out
No answer came so she began making her way through the eerily quiet house, a noise that she would never get used to. She started with the kitchen which was empty apart from a single scotch glass sitting next to the sink, she walked over and picked it up before placing it into the dishwasher. Her next destination was the lounge, but again it was empty. She had now searched the entire bottom level of the house and was making her way up the stairs when her phone beeped in her pocket, Finn's face flashed across her screen but she muted the call before placing her phone back into her pocket. She crept carefully into her parent's room and instantly heard a deep snore.
Venturing further in she found her father passed out on top of the king-size bed cradling an empty bottle of scotch, she moved over to him and carefully removed the bottle from his grip, he groaned but didn't wake and turned further into the bed. With one knee, she heaved onto the bed and unwrapped the already loosened tie from his neck and unbuttoned a few more buttons on his shirt. Placing the tie on a chair she crept silently back out of the room, commending him for at least making it to work that day.
Entering her own room, she kicked off her sneakers and walked over to her laptop which sat on a white desk at the bottom of her bed, she pressed the power button before walking to her bathroom and starting up the shower, unzipping her cheerio's outfit she placed it carefully onto the waiting hanger. The hot water bounced off her soft skin and that's when she broke, tears fell thick and fast matching the pour from the shower head. Her body shook with every erupting sob, she tried to contain it by putting her hand over her mouth but it took a good fifteen minutes for her to calm down and emerge from the shower.
Pulling on a pair of green shorts and tight white vest top she sat down in front of her computer while still towel drying her hair. She touched the mouse to bring the screen to life, she then moved the mouse again and brought up Facebook, in the search box she typed in Rachel's name and began scrolling through her page, she wasn't friends with Rachel but her page wasn't private therefore accessible to anyone and Quinn checked her page daily, it was her guilty little pleasure. She liked watching the videos of her singing but was disappointed when no new ones had been posted recently. She was about to click away from the page when she hovered her cursor above the "Add friend" option. Bringing her bottom lip between her teeth she was about to click down when the Skype box appeared on her screen, confirming the call before Santana's face engulfed her screen.
"What up medusa"
Quinn smoothed down her untamed hair forgetting that she had just came from a shower,
"Have you managed to coax dwarf into our evil plan yet?" Santana asked
"Nope, but give me time she'll be putty in my hand" Quinn smirked wickedly at the screen.