Dear Pen Pal...Chapter 16
They couldn’t believe it had already been two days since they’d been in Lima. Time was sure flying and for the most part the Degrassi teens were having fun. Sure a couple more slushie facials happened within those two days however the Degrassi kids just shrugged them off and let their McKinley Counterparts fix them up and make them good as new.
The school day had almost been done for Quinn, which is what led Jenna to sit in the Choir room on the risers, as that was where the blonde said she’d meet her later on.
Placing a hand on her growing baby bump she let a small smile cross her lips. Today she was to meet the little girl that Quinn gave away and hoped that this experience would help her to make her own decision as to what to do with her baby. As it stood KC was supportive at first, all ready to step up and be a teen father much to her delight. He even had names picked out that weren’t half bad either even if he did want to name them after characters from a science fiction series on the BBC (Annie if it was a girl and Mitchell if it was a boy…like she didn’t know) anyways then it all hit the fan when Fitz let it slip in the locker room one afternoon which lead to him calling her a slut in the middle of the school and their subsequent split.
Lost in thought she heard footsteps heading toward the room and as the period hadn’t ended she was pretty sure it wasn’t Quinn entering the room.
“What are you doing here?” Holly J Sinclair spoke causing Jenna to look up.
“What do you mean what am I doing here Holly J, what are you doing here?”
“Rachel told me to meet her here.”
“Quinn told me to meet HER here.”
Holly J took a seat by Jenna’s side and rolled her eyes.
“Weird, I didn’t think those two were friends outside of glee.”
“I know, Quinn thinks Rachel is irritating most of the time….no offence.”
Holly J let out a laugh.
“None taken, I mean yes Rachel is my pen pal but I got to hand it to the other members of New Directions for putting up with her all the time…” the young Strawberry Blonde then paused before flashing the younger girl a serious look, “I’m not that annoying…am I.”
“Truthfully.”
“Truthfully.”
Jenna shrugged her shoulders.
“I wouldn’t know, it’s not like we’re friends or anything.”
Holly J nodded.
It would make sense that they weren’t friends considering Jenna was in grade 10 while she herself was in grade 12.
“But if we were friends,” Holly J asked, “what would you think of me.”
“I’d think you were a bit controlling at times…. But otherwise you’re kind of cool.”
Holly J smiled as the sound of the school bell filled the air and soon footsteps filled the room.
“Good,’ Rachel’s voice chimed as she looked at Jenna, “you got the memo. Anyway Quinn has been held back a period as she has an exam, I on the other hand had that class earlier today and although I could of went to my next class I figured since I was excused anyway I might as well get some vocal exercises in… not that I need them….anyway any requests.”
Jenna and Holly J looked to one another before looking at Rachel.
She seemed like the kind of girl who’d have pretty much any female solo from any musical in her back pocket and they wanted to see if their assumption was true.
“Hold on a second,” Holly J said looking to Jenna and conferencing with the blonde before turning to her pen pal, a smile on her face.
“Ok… Boy Next Door: Meet Me In St. Louis.”
Rachel sucked in a breath before turning to ‘Brad’ the piano guy who ‘always seemed to be there’ according to the songstress and nodding for him to start playing:
The Moment I Saw Him Smile
I Knew He Was Just My Style
My Only Regret Is We've Never Met
Though I Dream Of Him All The While
But He Doesn't Know I Exist
No Matter How I May Persist
So It's Clear To See
There's No Hope For Me
Though I Live At 5135 Kensington Avenue
And He Lives At 5133
How Can I Ignore
The Boy Next Door?
I Love Him More Than I Can Say
Doesn't Try To Please Me
Doesn't Even Tease Me
And He Never Sees Me
Glance His Way
And Though I'm Heartsore
The Boy Next Door
Affection For Me Won't Display
I Just Adore Him
So I Can't Ignore Him
The Boy Next Door
I Just Adore Him
So I Can't Ignore Him
The Boy Next Door
There was a slight sound of applause as Rachel finished singing the song as Finn appeared in the doorway smiling over to Rachel.
“That was….wow.”
Rachel smiled her giddy schoolgirl smile at the taller teen before walking over and engaging in a kiss with him, not caring about the audience.
Pulling back, Finn turned to the other two girls.
“Have either of you seen KC?”
Jenna and Holly J shook their heads and Finn let out a sigh of defeat.
“Oh, well…I should go look for him.”
“Call me tonight!” Rachel said.
Finn nodded before heading out mumbling something about the weight room as Holly J looked over to her pen pal once more who had since moved from the doorway and was pacing the floor.
“So, what are we doing, and what does Quinn and Jenna have to do with it… no offence.”
Jenna smiled as clearly none was taken.
“Good question, well you see Holly J, Quinn wants to take Jenna to see her daughter seeing as how your schoolmate has a bun in the oven herself. Anyway seeing as how Beth’s adoptive mother is my estranged biological one I figured it only necessary that I tagged along on this journey and since you’re my pen pal and we are supposed to be spending quality time with one another….”
“I don’t mean to be a burden,” Holly J said.
“I didn’t mean it like that…. Anyways….”
Rachel was about to open her mouth once more when Quinn showed up in the room.
“Sorry I took so long, History Test.”
Jenna and Holly J nodded as they stood up and followed Rachel and Quinn toward the parking lot to head out to Shelby’s.
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Finn finally caught up to KC as he sat in the quad outside the cafeteria (it always boggled Finn’s mind why they had an outside area like this when they lived in Ohio where there was ‘weather’). The young man had his headphones on and was lost in his own little world when he sat down beside him.
“Listening to anything good?”
Pulling his ear buds out of his ears KC shrugged.
“Nothing special, I think Kings of Leon’s ‘Use Somebody’ was playing when you sat down.”
Finn just nodded as they sat in silence for a moment.
“How did you do it?” the younger boy asked as he was met with Finn’s blank look, “I mean how could you go to school? How could you look at Quinn all those months? Knowing she betrayed you like that? And Puck…he was your best friend…at least Fitz was just a mild acquaintance of mine if even.”
Finn looked at the young man.
“Truthfully, I don’t think I ever really got over it KC. I took things one day at a time and eventually learnt to accept the cards that were dealt to me. Of coarse Rachel and Mr. Schue, and Miss Pillsbury the school counselor helped a bit as well. And my mom and Mr. Hummel…you know it’s like the Beatles said… I get by with a little help from my friends.”
“The Beatles, how profound.”
“I don’t even know what that means… anyway want to go to the park and play some hoops or something.”
KC nodded and headed off campus with Finn.
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The older woman who opened the door to greet them looked scarily like Rachel Berry that it wasn’t even funny.
She smiled as she looked at the two girls.
“You must be Holly J,” she said turning to the strawberry blonde, “Rachel’s told me all about you.”
Quinn looked to Rachel in shock. She didn’t think Rachel and Shelby hung out and talked about anything other then music.
“And you must be Jenna,” she said looking at the blonde.
Jenna nodded as Shelby told them that Beth was upstairs and that she and Quinn could head up to see her.
And so the two blondes headed upstairs while Rachel, Shelby, and Holly J stayed downstairs talking about one thing or another and making Holly J feel like a third wheel more so then not however she’d not mention it to anyone as she simply say on Shelby’s couch texting Declan the whole time.
Meanwhile Jenna had followed Quinn into Beth’s nursery and looked down at the little girl who was all kinds of adorable. She tried to picture something like that coming out of her petite frame and suddenly she bit her lip just imagining all the pain she would endure.
Yep she so was going to ask for drugs even if her brother Kyle was dead set against it… it was her body not his damnit.
“Do you want to hold her?” Quinn asked.
Jenna flashed Quinn a nervous look.
“It’s ok, she won’t bite…ok maybe a little but hey she’s teething.”
Jenna just let out a laugh before gently taking the child from Quinn’s arms.
It somehow felt so natural holding the little girl in her arms and soon she began to sing under her breath:
I wanna be where the people are
I wanna see, wanna see them dancin'
Walking around on those - what do you call 'em?
Oh - feet!
Flippin' your fins, you don't get too far
Legs are required for jumping, dancing
Strolling along down a - what's that word again?
Street
Up where they walk, up where they run
Up where they stay all day in the sun
Wanderin' free - wish I could be
Part of that world
“Little Mermaid, I loved that movie as a kid.”
Jenna blushed, unaware that her voice was louder then the whisper that she thought she was singing in.
Nodding she replied.
“I loved that movie too, anyway Shelby looks to me like the kind of person who I’m sure owns the entire Disney catalogue or at least will now that she has this little princess.”
Quinn just nodded.
Yes, Shelby did seem like a Disney kind of woman to her in fact her voice sounded like she could have been a Disney Princess in her own right though she’d never say anything like that out loud.
As the afternoon went on Quinn watched Jenna with Beth and knew in her heart of hearts her young pen pal would be a great mom no matter what she decided to do.
TBC