Stop The World [6/?]
Title: Stop The World
Author: gabbie217
Pairings: Rachel/Quinn; Brittany/Santana; Rachel, Quinn, Brittany, Santana and Puck friendship.
Rating: R [Language, alcohol and some drug use, all involving teens]
Spoilers: None for this chapter.
Disclaimer: I own nothing, except the mistakes.
Summary: The five have a secret double life. At school, they hate each other, outside? They’re best friends.
A/N: I got the title from a Demi Lovato song… Stop The World ;]
Rachel arrived home and immediately went upstairs to take a shower. Before stepping into the steamy shower, Rachel plugged her phone into the wall charger. The battery had been dead all day at school, as she had spent all night on the party line with Brittany, Puck, Quinn, and Santana perfecting their plan.
The phone call she had made to her father at school had been fake; the fights, the insults, the tears, all of them had been staged.
In fact, Rachel was rather proud of herself and her friends. No one had doubted their act for a second.
“Rachel, Santana called to say they’ll be here in 45 minutes!” Eric called up to her.
“Thanks dad! I’m getting in the shower now!” She shouted back, poking her head out the door.
Rachel made sure her shower sign was in place on her door, then she stepped under the spray of the steaming hot water.
**
“Oh, god. I’m sore in places I didn’t know could be sore.” Santana flexed her aching muscles as she dried herself with a towel. The three girls had just finished showering after a brutal Cheerios practice. Sue had to treat them like she would any other freshman, unable to give them special treatment just because she knew and loved them. She had a rep to uphold and a secret to keep after all.
“I hope Star still has all those heating packs,” Brittany groaned as she stood up.
The three were the last girls to leave, but they still didn’t want to risk using Rachel’s actual name, so they used her code name.
“I just want Daddy B to give me a foot massage. My feet are killing me.” Quinn looked mournfully down at her battered feet.
“Ah, I really am sorry girls.” Sue came out of her office, looking apologetic.
“Its okay, mama. We understand.” Santana gave a weak smile. They really did understand, but they didn’t have to like it.
“Am I taking you girls over to Rays?” Sue asked.
Brittany nodded. “Puck as well. He should be out of practice by now.”
“Well, if you girls are ready, let’s get the show on the road.”
Puck was waiting for them outside. “Took you long enough,” he teased.
“We had to take showers,” Quinn said defensively.
“I took two showers, and I still beat you guys,” Puck bragged.
“Running water over your head does not count as a shower.” Brittany sniffed.
“Yeah, well. I’m a dude. I can get away with those kinds of things.” Puck shrugged. He took the girls’ bags, relieving them of the burden they called their backpacks.
“Thanks Puck.” Santana gave a half smile.
“Yeah, thanks Puck.” Quinn leaned her head against his shoulder as they walked towards Mama S’s car.
“Thanks Puckie,” Brittany cooed, eyes sparkling.
“Welcome,” he said grudgingly, frowning at the use of the nickname he hated with passion. Only Brittany got away with using it.
The four kids piled into Sue’s car and were silent the whole way to Rachel’s house. They were too tired to do much talking.
**
Rachel greeted the four with a huge smile and 4 cups of juice.
“I figured you would be thirsty,” she explained.
“You bet!” Puck nearly drained the glass in one gulp.
Santana, Quinn, and Brittany sipped theirs more slowly, savoring the sweet liquid.
The 5 waved goodbye to Mama S, who then drove off after telling Brittany she would be back at 9:15 to pick her and Santana up.
“Hey kids.” John looked up from his newspaper as they entered the living room.
“Hey Daddy B,” they said in unison, except for Rachel.
“How was school?” he asked, a twinkle in his eye.
“Oh, everything you said it would be,” Brittany said, flopping down on the couch next to John. “We were awful to Rachel, and she cried, and we laughed. But inside I was crying, too.”
“Good to hear.” John chuckled. He patted Brittany on the knee, then went back to his paper.
Puck lay on the floor, staring at the ceiling.
Santana sat by Brittany, her head on the blonde’s shoulder.
Quinn and Rachel were sitting in front of the TV, staring at the blank screen.
“Don’t you 5 have homework?” Eric asked, looking at them like only a parent could.
“Dad,” Rachel whined. “We’re comfy.”
“C’mon, dinner will be done in about an hour. I’m sure you can get it done in that amount of time. And then after dinner, you can laze about all you want,” he said firmly.
“Yes Dad,” all five sighed. They trudged down to the basement and got settled in their study modes.
Puck set the radio to an easy listening station, keeping the volume loud enough to hear, but low enough that it wouldn’t distract them.
Brittany got the table desks out and set them up.
Santana brought down the juice and an extra cup for Rachel, as she didn’t have one.
Quinn went through everyone’s bags and pulled out their hardest homework first, while Rachel set to making sure they had all the supplies they needed.
“Looks like we have a light load tonight,” Quinn commented happily.
She set out math for Puck and Rachel, science for Santana, and history for herself and Brittany.
The 5 worked diligently on their homework, occasionally stopping to ask questions, or get a drink of juice.
Quinn had just finished handing out their last piece of homework, a worksheet for English, as that was the easiest subject for them when Eric called out that dinner was ready.
“See that wasn’t so hard,” Eric teased as they came bounding up the stairs.
“I’m starving,” Rachel said dramatically. “You call that easy?”
Quinn picked up on the story. “Yeah, her stomach was distracting all of us from our work.”
“So if we fail,” Santana continued.
“Or get low scores,” Brittany added.
“We blame you,” Puck finished.
Eric and John merely laughed and gestured for them to be seated.
John dished out the meal of mashed potatoes for them all and chicken for everyone but Rachel, who had grilled tofu.
Everyone dug in and complimented Eric on his cooking skills.
“Thank you, thank you. Really, it was nothing,” Eric said in mock modesty.
John shook his head and smiled at his silly husband.
**
After dinner, Rachel and Puck washed the dishes, while Santana and Quinn dried and Brittany put them away.
Then they went and finished their homework.
“So, Rachel, word on the street is that Roy Halverson asked you out.” Brittany nudged Rachel’s arm playfully as they sat watching TV.
Rachel shifted in her seat. “Yeah, he did.”
Quinn inhaled sharply.
“And what did you say?” Puck asked, his mind quickly figuring out who Roy was and if he was good enough for Ray.
Quinn waited for her answer anxiously.
“I had to decline his offer.” Rachel looked down at her hands.
Relaxing, Quinn leaned over and playfully hit Rachel on the arm. “Why? He’s cute,” she teased.
“I have my eye set on someone else,” Rachel whispered, daring to meet Quinn’s gaze. “And I’m waiting to see if they like me back.”
Santana watched her two friends carefully, silently urging Quinn to finally ask Rachel out.
But Quinn just looked away. Rachel sighed and went back to looking at her hands.
Brittany stared at Quinn, frustrated, but she said nothing.
Puck cleared his throat loudly. “Who wants to go get some ice cream?”
The tension cleared immediately, and all four girls smiled. “Me!” they shouted in unison.
Rachel, Santana, and Brittany bounded up the stairs, shouting for John to take them out for ice cream.
Quinn smiled sadly at Puck, silently thanking him for saving her from her own failure. Puck smiled back and took her hand, leading her up the stairs.
Quinn hated herself for not being able to work up the courage to ask Rachel out, and she knew she had no one but herself to blame.