Love should never be that hard - Part 6
Title: Love should never be that hard
Author: girlnamedclark
Rating: PG for the first chapters, eventual PG-13 and NC-17
Length: 43227~the entire thing
Spoilers: not really. mainly AU
Summary: “…We first met long before the society’s ways separated us - first grade. At that time, there were no popular kids’ groups, or anything. I was just Rachel and she was just Quinn…” it’s high school and Rachel and Quinn are best friends, even though mainly outside high school, seeing that they each have their circle of friends.
A/N: Rachel’s POV only in the first chapter/prologue. Quinn’s POV only in the last chapter/epilogue.
A/N2: I incorporated the episodes on my multi-chaptered fic titled Cheaters in this fic, because it fitted. So I apologize anyone who has read the fic.
Part 6
Gary Ford was a total jerk. Quinn wished she could state the obvious - because everyone in the table was laughing at his condescending comments about the waiters and his bad jokes - but she realized that, in that environment, Gary Ford was just the type of people that everyone adored. Quinn thought how happy her father would be to have him as his son-in-law and they could both talk and talk about how immigrants ruin America.
Seriously, Gary Ford and her father were made to be buddies. They both would vote for George W. Bush if he was still a candidate; they both played golf; they were racists and xenophobes; not to mention homophobes - fags as her father would gently put it, when he wasn’t using harsher words.
Throughout the entire dinner, Quinn felt sick and she kept as silent as she could, to not incentive any conversation with Gary. But he wouldn’t give up so easily; he was constantly asking her questions and trying to pull her inside a conversation he was having with her father.
Quinn desperately hoped Gary would take her coldness not as teasing but really as what it was: profound and eternal disgust.
“I’m just going to make a quick phone call, okay?” Quinn asked to her mother. She could see how the woman raised her eyebrows deeply unpleased with Quinn’s lack of etiquette, but she didn’t care.
Once outside, Quinn allowed herself to enjoy the fresh breeze of the night and the lack of unbearable conversations and comments before she actually made her phone call.
Rachel picked up quickly. Her dad wasn’t home, yet, even though it was past nine pm. She didn’t notice much sadness in the girl’s voice; she was kind of expecting. She felt insanely bad for not being able to go to her house, because she was stuck in the most horrible dinner ever. Rachel tried to comfort her reminding Quinn that Gary - in fifteen years - would be suffering from early baldness. This somehow seemed to calm Quinn down. Then Rachel yawns and says she’s probably going to bed, and Quinn wishes her good night.
Quinn was about to put her phone inside her purse when she sees, by the corner of her eye, Gary stepping outside the restaurant. Quinn is really at that stage of hate where everything he does is annoying to her, and so she tries to disguise her skin crawling as she sees him walking languidly towards her. His holding a pack of cigarettes. The virtues don’t stop revealing themselves, Quinn ironically thinks to herself, pondering if she can pretend she didn’t saw him coming over and escape towards the back door. It’s too late for that.
“Hello” he says. A pompous voice that makes Quinn want to bite her ears off.
“Hi” she replies, though, trying to maintain polite, but not inviting.
“So… it’s kind of hard to talk to you with my parents and your parents wanting to make conversation” he says, lightning his cigarette and then expelling a thick grey cloud of smoke from his lips.
Quinn thinks about how Rachel would never smoke in her life: firstly, it’s bad for the health, secondly she wouldn’t risk her singing voice and thirdly it’s just plain disgusting.
“So…” he continues, leaving Quinn thinking if he doesn’t know any other sentence connector “I was wondering when would you like me to pick you up?”.
Quinn looks incredulously at her, and almost feels like she’s going to burst into laughers “I don’t think so”.
“Excuse me?” he seems genuinely confused.
“Not interested” she says, getting a bigger kick out of announcing it than she probably should.
“I’m sorry, but you are aware that this entire thing” he says, starting to reveal a little impatience, as he gestured the restaurant behind him “is a set up between your parents and mine?”.
“Yeah, but that doesn’t mean that I will or want to date you” she answers, still amused.
“Is this about rebellion?” he drops his cigarette and smashes it with his shoe “is this about not pleasing your parents?”.
Quinn is utterly amused. The poor guy can’t just accept the fact that she doesn’t want to go out with him because she doesn’t want to go out with him “no, this is about me not wanting to date you”.
He stares at her, one pompous eyebrow raised.
“Besides, I have someone” Quinn heard herself add.
Gary seemed calmer about knowing that fact. After all it wasn’t that his charm wasn’t working, it was because she was already taken “are you two exclusive?”.
Quinn hated the fact that she hesitated on that question “I am” apparently, she didn’t add.
“If so why are your parents trying to set you up with someone else?” he asked, suspiciously.
“They don’t know” Quinn shrugged, naturally.
And Quinn was surprised - and delighted - to see how cold and indifferent Gary was towards her, throughout the rest of the evening.
“I told you I’m not coming tonight” Quinn annoyingly stated to the phone, turned against Rachel’s window bedroom. Rachel casually looked at Quinn’s back “I’m not feeling so well. I’ll just stay home and… rest” she lied and Rachel smiled, looking down at the collection of possible DVD’s she had selected for that night.
Rachel didn’t remember the last time Quinn had missed one of Santana Lopez’s parties - not when she and her jock ex-boyfriend Jay ended just about hours from the party, not when she had the flue in the winter - and she couldn’t help but to feel foolishly happy about the fact that Quinn was missing one in order to be with her. Rachel hadn’t even suggested, Quinn just promptly invited herself over, when Rachel said that she wasn’t going to Santana’s party that night because she was tired and preferred staying in.
“Well, I’ll have to deal with the fact that I’ve missed out on Maggie passing out on top of the pool table” Quinn ironically stated “what? No! I told you I’m going to stay home tonight”.
Rachel patiently waited for her phone call to end “what was Santana saying?” she asked, then.
“She was all accusing me to be secretly meeting with my secret loverboy… whatever” Quinn shrugged, then sitting by Rachel’s side in the bed, looking down at the DVD’s she herself had brought, to add to Rachel’s as the possible movie for that night.
“So what do we have here?” Rachel nonchalantly asked.
“I tried to get a big selection of genres because I wasn’t sure what you were in the mood for” Quinn explained, pointing out the different boxes “innocent movies, light romantic comedies, action movies, thrillers, spicy…” she felt herself blush “movies”.
Rachel laughed, because when Quinn said “spicy movies” all she could think off was porn, wish was definitely not what Quinn Fabray would bring.
“Choose whatever, is fine with me” Rachel said, standing up “I’m just going to make some coffee for me, and do you want tea?”.
Quinn shook her head “no, it’s okay. You know it’s not healthy for you to drink all that coffee you do, right?”.
Rachel looked like a little child whose mother told her she couldn’t play “but without coffee I lose my ability to do that stand and walking and putting words to make sentences thingy”.
Quinn smiled, sweetly “I do like when you do that”.
As Rachel absented herself to the kitchen downstairs, Quinn took it on herself to select the movie for that night. The only reason she had brought such variety was really so that Rachel could choose something that appealed to her - but since Rachel had let Quinn choose for her - Quinn was almost sure about what she wanted to see.
She selected the two “spicy movies” she had brought and, after some consideration, she chose “Where the truth lies”. She hadn’t seen it yet, but she had a general idea about what it was about.
She inserted the DVD into the machine and let everything ready to roll for when Rachel arrived. She lied on top of Rachel’s bed, getting comfortable.
When Rachel arrived there was no doubt about where she was going to settle; without hesitation, the brunette snuggled below Quinn’s arm, and curled up against her. Quinn pressed play on the remote control.
The movie plot was interesting, but the girls saw themselves more captivated towards the most graphic scenes. It was what people call a sexual thriller that perfectly mixed the suspense with the spice.
When the credits rolled, both girls couldn’t say they had been bored with it.
Quinn consulted the time: just about eleven pm “are your dads never home?”. It had been automatic and she didn’t really think that through, and she could see how Rachel’s face suddenly darkened.
“Quinn, you’re making me sad” she mumbled.
“Oh, I’m sorry, I don’t want that!” Quinn held the girl tighter “let’s talk about something else”.
“Okay” Rachel promptly agreed “do you want to know what are my plans for Finn’s birthday?”.
Quinn’s gasp was very audible “let’s not talk about that” she said, not bothering to hide the jealous tone.
“Okay” Rachel repeated and both girls fell into a momentary silence.
Quinn was the one breaking, her voice sounding unsure and slightly embarrassed “do you ever think about…” it was a far too big pause to be natural. It was almost as if Quinn was building the courage to say the next word “sex?”.
Rachel didn’t talk immediately “what do you mean? If I think…”
“About you and me” Quinn made clear.
Rachel paused. The silence was unnerving to Quinn, so she anticipated Rachel “don’t you sometimes get… too hot? When we are together”.
“I do think about it” Rachel finally answered, honestly “it’s inevitable. You’re a good kisser, Quinn…”
“Likewise”.
There was another silence.
“So you think that, maybe, someday…” Quinn continued.
“Someday, yeah” Rachel quickly answered.
“Someday, like, eventually, or someday, like, in the eminent future?” not even Quinn was sure about what she meant by that.
“Quinn?”.
“Yes?”.
“I don’t think I’m ready” Rachel answered, bluntly.
Quinn nodded “I understand” and she ran her fingers through dark, strong hair, affectionately.
It was crazy, right? No, it was unhealthy, Rachel decided, as she made herself look away from the field. It was simply and flat out unhealthy. Rachel was a sick person. She really was. There was not any other explanation.
How could she sit there, in the bleachers of the Dennis Adams’ football field, with her boyfriend by her side, in that beautifully poetic Spring day - with great potential for romanticism - and all she could do was to stare jealously at one stunning Quinn Fabray talking to a jock?
Well, if that could be categorize as just talking. Rachel, even from far away, could spot all the signs, without even trying to. Her tiny grin - even as she spoke -, the fact that she was slightly leaned towards the guy; her constant hair tossing, the giggles, the occasional touching. That was, without any doubt, a session of Quinn’s famous flirtation. And - if anything could make it worse - he was on the opposing team?!
Not that it made any difference at which team he belonged for Rachel, but she told herself to be indigenised in the name of her school spirit.
It didn’t help that Kurt had informed Rachel that the guy Quinn was talking to was one Fred Patterson, the great star of the opposing team and the - by Kurt’s words - most wanted high school bachelor in town.
Finn pretended to be offended by the fact that Kurt was insinuating that the guy was more wanted that he was, until Mercedes cleverly pointed out that he was no “bachelor”.
Finn smiled, surrounding, and pressing a kiss to Rachel’s cheek. All of the sudden, he was quite happy for not being the most wanted high school bachelor.
Rachel could see her friends’ looks - that purse of lips and puppy eyes that meant that they thought her boyfriend was adorable and so sweet - and she couldn’t help but to feel mad at herself for not acknowledging it herself. It left her restless to feel like her friends wished more to have boyfriend like Finn that she did.
That momentarily distraction made her forget she was trying - at every cost - not to glance over to the field, and so she did, only to be again staring at Quinn and Fred.
Then, suddenly, she saw Quinn saying goodbye to the guy and disappearing bellow the bleachers, towards the bathroom, Rachel figured. Without thinking twice, the brunette was on her feet “I’m going to the bathroom” she announced.
Finn - who was in midle conversation with Mercedes and Kurt - only glanced up and smiled, then resuming to what he was doing.
Rachel leaped down the bleachers, briskly making her way towards the bathroom, without any type of hesitation. She wasn’t sure why she wanted to talk to Quinn, but it was stronger than her.
The bathroom was empty, except for one locked stall, which Rachel quickly calculated to be the one where Quinn was.
When Quinn got out of her bathroom stall, she seemed surprised to see Rachel there, waiting for her, crossed arms over her chest.
“Hey” she greeted sweetly, passing by her towards the sink to wash her hands.
“Made a new friend?” damn. The jealously had been stronger - and apparently smarter - than Rachel, because it had made her walk the entire way to the bathroom without she even knowing that it was to have a jealously scene.
Quinn seemed confused, only for a moment “oh, Fred?”.
“Fred” Rachel said, as if mocking the name.
“We were just talking”.
“Oh, talking” Rachel said, sounding sardonic.
“Yeah, talking” Quinn said, a smile forming on her lips because - as much as she liked to be annoyed at the fact that Rachel was jealous - she couldn’t help but to be delighted by it.
“That is hardly considered as only talking” Rachel insisted “the touchy-feely. The giggles. The flirt”.
“Rachel, I’m a cheerleader, my job consists on flirting with the players” Quinn said, jokingly.
“And what a good job you do. I see now why you are the captain cheerleader” Rachel said and she meant it as offensively as she made it sound.
Quinn was suddenly not liking where that was going. She crossed her arms “what’s your problem, Rachel?”.
“My problem? I don’t have a problem” Rachel lied, not very convincingly, because her tone was starting to rise as the argument heat up.
“You obviously do, and I bet it isn’t easy to pronounce”.
“Oh, again with the cheap insults. I thought we were over that phase”.
“Apparently we’re not, because you’ve just called me - without using such words, I admit - a shameless slut”.
“Well, what is the definition of slut?” Rachel asked, rhetorically “I think that it’s something about getting it on with anyone and everyone that crosses your path. Unfortunately, I crossed your path”.
Quinn - that hadn’t related to Rachel about the statement she had made to Gary (about being exclusive) because she felt slightly embarrassed that she was so committed to the relationship when Rachel so obviously wasn’t and didn’t seem to want to end her relationship with her boyfriend - was really starting to get mad, and she stepped forwards “girl friend needs to chill out. Can you hear yourself? Firstly, you’re insulting me and insinuating that the only reason that we have what we have it’s of some pathological problem that I have, secondly you are there, on the bleachers, kissing your boyfriend and you think it’s okay to freak out because I was talking to a guy? Fuck, Rachel, get over yourself!” Quinn was about to make a big exit, but Rachel grasped her arm.
“Do you want me to break up with Finn? Is that what you want?”.
“I want you to do what you want to do” Quinn replied, madly, setting her arm free of Rachel’s grasp and finally leaving.
I’m sorry’s had proved to be the hardest words to say. Rachel almost wished she didn’t had to say them - that Quinn could just understand that she was apologizing by the gifts and the guilty-looking appearance at the front steps of her house - but she knew that Quinn would make her say them.
Quinn couldn’t say she was surprised to see Rachel when she opened the door of her house. She wasn’t expecting her at that moment, but she was definitely eventually expecting her. And she wasn’t going to make it easier for Rachel.
Quinn raised her eyebrows and crossed her arms, waiting for it.
“I’m sorry” Rachel said, with a hopeful smile on her lips. She then lifted her bag. Quinn stared curiously at it “I was going to bring you chocolates but I remembered you were on a diet, so instead I bought you cherries. They’re your favourite fruit, right? I remembered”.
Quinn leaned her head to the side, as if saying she was half-convinced.
“And I bought you a little something…” Rachel continued fishing for it on the bag. It was a little box that had “Rock” written on it. Quinn was already feeling more forgiving. “Rock” was her favourite accessorize boutique. It wasn’t the one cheapest ones, either-
Even though her parents would buy her just about anything Quinn would ask them too, it was always nice to receive them from other people.
Trying not to look to eager, Quinn reached for the little box and opened. Earrings; hoops of different shades of blue, just about the perfect size - not too long. They were stunning.
Quinn couldn’t hold her smile for appearing “wow” she mumbled, simply, just not to get Rachel to rest on her apologies.
“I thought they would go great with your hair and your eyes” Rachel said, expectantly.
Quinn nodded, decided to play hard to get, at least just yet “they are beautiful”. Quinn crossed her arms, waiting.
“I don’t have anything else” Rachel pleaded, sadly “just my profound regret for being such an ass-hole”.
“Ass-hole” Quinn repeated, for some reason.
“Sorry?” Rachel didn’t understand.
“I have been trying to put a name on it” Quinn smiled, maliciously “you’re right, ass-hole”.
Rachel pressed her lips together, in a small impatient grin. If the blonde was so obviously teasing her it was because she wasn’t that mad “what can I do to make it better?”.
Quinn shrugged, still playing “do you want to come in?”.
Rachel promptly accepted it, and soon enough the girls were back to normal.
“Our first fight” Rachel commented, once inside Quinn’s room.
“I take it that all the others didn’t count?...” Quinn joked.
“No, our first fight as…” Rachel suddenly stopped, realizing she didn’t have a name to give to it. Couple seemed untrue.
“As…” Quinn was obviously amused at watching her debate with a label. Rachel questioned herself if that was still part of the punishment.
“As…” Rachel dropped herself in Quinn’s bed “what are we, Quinn?”.
“I don’t know, Rachel” Quinn answered, with a professional tone; as if they were two anchorwomen talking live.
Rachel leaned her head to the side, her eyes in a slightly darker shade than usual. Quinn knew what that meant, and she liked itt. The leaning of the head, the dark eyes, Rachel wanted her, craved for her.
“Does it matter?” Rachel asked, patting the comforter by her side, encouraging Quinn to sit.
“You tell me” Quinn replied, slowly sitting by Rachel’s side, before their lips collided.
Part 7