Dare to love (6/?)
Hey guys here’s the next chapter. It might be a bit crap but I’m really tired and stuff so…yeah. Warning for swearing etc. If it helps...imagine this is a filler chapter.
Chapter 5
“Quinn!” Brittany exclaimed as she jogged down the corridor after the power walking blonde. The girl in front of her turned a corner and Brittany quickly followed but upon turning the corner she stopped short when she found that Quinn had disappeared. She heaved a sigh, her shoulder slumping in defeat as she glanced down at her shoes.
“Britt!”
Brittany looked up to see Santana walking briskly towards her with Rachel hot on her heels.
“Where were you running to?” Santana asked in confusion “I called out to you and you ignored me.”
“Sorry.” Brittany frowned as she glanced back down the hallway, hoping to catch a glimpse of Quinn. The blonde had been avoiding her all day but every now and then Brittany would catch a glimpse of Quinn leaning against a locker or something, watching her “Quinn was…here before.” Brittany bit her lip and looked down at her shoes “She’s been avoiding me all day.”
“Don’t worry Brittany, I’m sure it’s not you.” Rachel murmured comfortingly, though she looked downright depressed by what she was saying “She won’t speak to me either and I’ve tried numerous times to initiate conversation.”
“She said that I upset her though.” Brittany disagreed sadly “And I made her cry yesterday and now she won’t talk to me.”
Santana looked away, a sickening feeling of guilt bubbling up in her stomach. She was aware that to some degree Quinn not talking to Brittany was her fault and the fact that the girl in question was avoiding Rachel too was worrying. Santana was still pissed off at Quinn but she really didn’t want her friend to go through what she was going through alone “Wait…Did you say you talked to Quinn yesterday? When you stayed back after school to practice?”
“Yeah.” Brittany nodded “She said that you told her that we’re leaving and then she got really upset. I tried to hug her but she wouldn’t let me and then she kind of yelled at me so I wouldn’t answer her for a minute and she just left.”
Santana blinked at the long winded statement “She didn’t say or do anything else though?”
“Just that she’s upset that I didn’t tell her the truth.” Brittany answered regretfully “Do you think she’s mad at me for not talking to her after she yelled at me?”
“I don’t think so Britt.” Santana murmured distractedly.
“Where are you going?” Rachel asked rather bluntly causing both Brittany and Santana to glance at her “I’m sorry. I’ve been wondering since last night when Quinn stopped by.”
“Quinn was with you last night?” Santana frowned in confusion.
“She came by my house after her...encounter with Brittany.” Rachel explained hesitantly “She seemed rather upset and she told me it was because you and Brittany were leaving.”
Santana smirked sarcastically “At least I got a mention.”
“So where are you going?” Rachel asked impatiently “There’s nothing wrong with either of you is there? Despite Quinn’s reassurances I’ve been incredibly worried about the reason for your sudden departure.”
“I managed to get onto a medical course at NYU.” Santana answered briefly.
“Oh my…That’s brilliant Santana!” Rachel exclaimed enthusiastically “I’m so happy for you!” she paused for a moment as something sank in “Wait…you’re going to be in New York? Both of you are going to New York after you graduate?”
“That’s the plan.”
“I’m going to be in New York!” Rachel exclaimed joyously “You’re going to be in New York with me!”
“Duh.” Santana smirked “But be quiet Berry…the best part is yet to come.” She noticed that Rachel was about to question her so she held up a hand to stop any oncoming questions “Brittany? Do you want to tell her?”
Brittany nodded excitedly as Rachel glanced at her in anticipation “Santana helped me send a tape to Juilliard and I have an audition next week!”
Rachel was completely silent for a moment as she absorbed the news but her stoic response quickly faded, to be replaced with a wide grin “Oh My God, I’m so happy for you Britt!” She gleefully clasped her hands together and practically bounced towards Brittany to hug her tightly.
Brittany laughed as she returned the hug, a slight flush to her cheeks “I’m not in yet.”
Rachel made a sound of disbelief and pulled away with a warm smile “There’s no way they’ll say no to you. You’re…” she fell silent for a moment, trying to think of a word to describe the girl in front of her “Breath-taking.”
Brittany bashfully ducked her head “Thanks Rach.”
Rachel squealed excitedly and pulled away from Brittany to compulsively hug Santana who returned the embrace for only a second before pulling away and glancing around to make sure nobody was around to see. Not that she was embarrassed or anything, she just didn’t want Quinn to get the wrong idea again. She scoffed at the thought and shook her head.
“We’re going to New York…together!” Rachel repeated excitedly “All four of us…In New York. It’s like a dream come true. We could get an apartment together o-or if we can’t afford it, Brittany and I could find campus accommodation and you and Quinn could find somewhere close to stay.”
“I wouldn’t be so sure about that.” Santana murmured, glancing in the direction in which she assumed Quinn had left.
“What do you mean?” Rachel deflated slightly at the statement.
“Nothing.” Santana answered briefly before she slipped her hand into Brittany’s “Come on Britt, we’re late to class.” She started down the hallway, only to glance back over her shoulder “Coming Berry?”
Rachel stayed still for a moment before she obediently followed, slightly troubled by Santana’s comment but mostly brightened by the prospect of their futures.
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Quinn glanced up from the piano keys she was skimming her fingers across when she heard somebody stealthily enter the room. She usually wouldn’t have noticed the noise but she had her eyes closed at the time to bask in the peace and quiet, hence heightening her other senses. She was slightly surprised to find Rachel slowly approaching her. She swallowed heavily and briefly averted her eyes back to the pristine white piano keys “How did you know where to find me?”
“I had a sneaking suspicion that you would want to be on your own and this is where you come when you want to be alone.” Rachel answered as she reached the piano. She skimmed her fingers along the glossy black finish and took a moment before speaking “School finished over an hour ago, Quinn.”
“I know.” Quinn murmured with a shrug of her shoulders “I didn’t really feel like going home so I decided to hang out in here.”
“Are you avoiding me?” Rachel asked warily.
Quinn didn’t answer but she did look up to meet Rachel’s eyes.
Rachel quickly realised that Quinn wasn’t going to answer and spoke up again “Brittany told me that she’s going to New York.” She didn’t fail to notice Quinn’s flinch at the mention of Brittany’s name and made a mental note “I don’t understand why you’re so mad at her.”
“I’m not mad at her.” Quinn said quickly “I’m really not.”
“If you’re weren’t mad you would be telling her that instead of me.” Rachel pointed out reasonably “But Quinn, there’s really no need to be mad. I know you think that you’re going to miss them but they’re going to be in the same city as us and…”
“I’m not going to New York Rachel.” Quinn said bluntly.
“W-what?” Rachel trailed off and stared at Quinn speechlessly “What do you mean you’re not going?”
Quinn stood up and walked around the piano to stand in front of Rachel. For the first time since Rachel had walked in she recognised the irony in their current situation. It was the second time she would be ‘sending Rachel on her way’ yet they were still in the same place, at least physically.
“I’m a Lima loser Rachel, let’s face it.” Quinn murmured, her voice almost a whisper “And I refuse to hold you back from your dreams.”
“What? No!” Rachel quickly shook her head, her expression pained “Quinn, don’t say that about yourself. You can do so much more than you think you can. You…”
“I can’t.” Quinn exclaimed firmly, effectively interrupting Rachel’s statement “I can’t do this anymore Rachel. I can’t…” she glanced up as she felt tears clouding her eyes “I can’t be with you anymore.”
“I-I don’t understand.” Rachel said, her voice thick with emotion “You’re breaking up with me?”
“Yes.” Quinn whispered, closing her eyes to avoid looking into hurt brown eyes “I’m breaking up with you.”
“Is there somebody else? Everything you said yesterday about being in love with two people...Were you talking from personal experience?”
Quinn’s eyes sprung open in alarm at the wounded question and she stared at Rachel in stunned silence for a moment.
“Oh God.” Rachel whimpered in response to Quinn’s revealing lack of an answer. She braced herself with a hand on the piano as tears overwhelmed her “Oh God…”
“No…No!” Quinn finally answered firmly. Hearing a sob spring from Rachel’s throat she stepped forward and hovered close to her “There’s…I…Rachel, I love you. You have to believe me.”
“Then why are you doing this?” Rachel pleaded emotionally “Why would you want to throw away everything we have together? Please tell me Quinn because I really don’t understand what I’ve done wrong and I need…” a sob sprang unwillingly from Rachel’s throat and Quinn instinctively pulled her close, gently shushing her despite her own tears and rising emotions.
“I’m so sorry.”
“I love you.” Rachel fiercely whispered into Quinn’s shoulder.
“I know.” Quinn turned her head and lightly planted a kiss just above Rachel’s ear “I love you too.”
“Then don’t do this.” Rachel begged, clinging to the taller girl for dear life “Please don’t do this.”
Quinn took a deep breath before forcing herself to pull away from the desperate grip “I have to. I have to do this.”
“You don-“
“I do!” Quinn insisted emotionally “Don’t make this any harder for me than it already is Rachel. Just…” she swallowed against the lump in her throat “Just leave me alone, okay?”
Rachel stared at Quinn tearfully “Quinn…”
“GO!” Quinn practically yelled, her own emotions getting the best of her as tears spilled down her cheek “Just LEAVE!”
Rachel’s tears thickened at Quinn’s yelling but she obediently whirled around and rushed for the door, a sob springing from her throat as she did so.
“Fuck.” Quinn muttered as she sank back onto the piano bench. She dropped her head into her hands and mentally cursing herself, dissolved into quiet sobs.
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“Alright, already we’re coming!” Santana exclaimed as she reluctantly pulled away from the kiss she was sharing with her girlfriend and glanced towards the door. She looked back at a pouting Brittany with a questioning expression “Do you want me to get it?”
“No.” Brittany answered before surging back up into the kiss, simultaneously locking her legs around Santana’s waist to pull her back down. Having not expected the sudden move Santana let out a muffled squeak against Brittany’s lips but promptly returned the kiss and applied her weight to her arms so as not to squish the girl underneath her. Santana moaned softly as the said blondes hand snuck under her shirt to lightly caress her lower back. She wasn’t exactly eager to answer the door, taking into account that it had taken almost an hour for Santana to stop Brittany fretting about Quinn so it would be a rather dramatic understatement to say that Santana wanted their make out time to continue uninterrupted. Another ring of the bell however caused her to groan irritably as she once again pulled away from the kiss and glared in the direction of the door “They’re not going away.”
“Ignore it.” Brittany leaned up on her elbow and latched her lips onto Santana’s neck, sucking lightly at the skin there. Santana bit her lip as teeth lightly grazed her neck and lifted a hand to tangle into Brittany’s free flowing hair, her eyes inadvertently sliding shut. She had just about forgotten about the annoying person at the door when the doorbell rang three times in rapid succession. Detecting Santana’s distraction Brittany stopped what she was doing and slumped back onto the couch, an annoyed pout fixed upon her lips.
“I’m going to kill whoever is at that fucking door.” Santana muttered angrily as she reluctantly lifted herself off her girlfriend and stood up. She continued muttering Spanish curses on the way to the door which upon reaching she angrily yanked open “What do you wa-?” she trailed off in shock when she recognised exactly who was standing in front of her. None other than Rachel Berry was hovering in the doorway, her cheeks tear stained and her arms wrapped tightly around herself as if in a vain attempt to hold her emotions together “Berry?”
Rachel shuffled her feet sheepishly “I-I didn’t know where else to go.”
Santana stared at the girl in shocked silence for a moment before she noticed that Rachel’s bottom lip was starting to wobble, indicating that she was seconds away from bursting into tears again “Of course…come in.” Santana stepped out of the doorway and quickly ushered the tearful girl into the house before closing the door behind them. She turned around, opening her mouth to call Brittany for assistance but the words died on her lips as Rachel stepped forward to wrap her arms around her neck “Oh.” Santana was completely still for a moment before she tentatively lifted her arms and somewhat awkwardly returned the embrace. They stayed like that for a minute before Rachel released a soft sob, the sound muffled slightly by Santana’s neck.
“What’s going on?”
Santana glanced up to see a worried looking Brittany leaning against the doorway to the living room but quickly turned her attention back to Rachel who was clearly growing more distressed by the second. She ignored her girlfriends question for the time being and began to carefully disentangle herself from the sobbing brunette. The feat was slightly more difficult than she had anticipated due to Rachel’s desperate grip and eventually she was forced to lightly pull the other girls arms from around her neck, holding them firmly between them “Rachel, what’s wrong? Did something happen to Qui…” Santana was in the process of scanning Rachel’s face for any indication of what had happened but she was distracted as she spotted something red on Rachel’s shoulder. Her eyes flicked over and she felt a sickening sensation form in her stomach when she spotted Rachel’s ripped shirt and quickly reddening shoulder “Who the fuck did that?” without waiting for a response, she pulled down the material to further reveal the mark just as Brittany walked over to join them. The blonde placed a hand on Rachel’s back and began to trace small comforting circles there.
“Was it Jewfro?” Santana demanded to know, looking incensed at the thought “I knew I shouldn’t have listened to you when you told me not to beat the shit out of him for stalking you. I’m going to fucking kill the bastard!” she turned around and made to storm towards the door but a hand grasped her wrist, effectively halting her. Santana turned to see Rachel tearfully shaking her head. Despite her anger the silence only further unnerved her and she glanced at Brittany in worry.
“Rachel, you’re scaring us.” Brittany stated as if she knew exactly what Santana was thinking “Please say something…anything.”
Rachel glanced up at Brittany through teary eyes and the distressed look on the blondes face stirred her to finally say something “It wasn’t him.”
Santana breathed a sigh of relief at the fact that Rachel was actually talking to them as opposed to staying completely silent “Well who was it? Finn? Because I’ll fucking take him down too!”
“Santana.” Brittany warned softly as she watched Rachel become noticeably more distressed when faced with Santana’s anger. She purposefully locked eyes with Santana, silently telling her to calm down before turning back to Rachel “Ra…”
“Quinn broke up with me!” Rachel emotionally exclaimed before promptly bursting into tears again.
Brittany glanced at Santana in shock but the latter seemed unsurprised by Rachel’s revelation. She did however look slightly confused as her eyes flicked back to Rachel’s shoulder “Quinn wouldn’t…” she trailed off and shook her head in disbelief. Quinn might not have been on her list of favourite people in that moment but Santana knew that she would never do anything to harm Rachel. At least physically if the sight in front of her was anything to go by.
Brittany quickly drew Rachel into a comforting embrace and looked worriedly at Santana as if she was unsure of what else to do in the situation.
Santana watched Rachel sobbing softly into Brittany’s chest for a moment before turning away to take a deep calming breath. She had been aware of Quinn’s emotional problems, especially since their locker confrontation but she hadn’t realised that it had progressed to a level that would warrant Quinn breaking up with Rachel “This is such a mess.” She turned back to Rachel and Brittany after a couple of silent moments, filled with only the soft sound of Rachel crying to find that Brittany was watching her curiously over Rachel’s head “Britt, can you help Rachel to the couch? It looks like she’s going to fall over or something.”
Brittany stared at Santana for a moment before she nodded in response and pulled away from Rachel’s tight grip to lead her into the living room.
Santana watched them go before turning and heading in the direction of the kitchen “Shit, shit, shit, shit…” she muttered agitatedly under her breath. Knowing that Quinn was in love with Brittany was hard enough but the fact that her best friend had broken up with Rachel presented her with a brand new problem. With another soft curse Santana agitatedly pulled open the fridge door and grabbed a bottle of water before heading back to the living room. When she got there she found Rachel and Brittany sitting on the couch, the former leaning into the latter’s side with tears streaming freely down her cheeks. Despite the discouraging sight Santana was relieved to find that Rachel’s sobs had died down to soft whimpers.
“Here.” Santana handed the cold bottle of water to Rachel before sitting down close to the diva’s side.
Rachel frowned down at the bottle in her hand as if she wasn’t sure what she was supposed to do with it. After a minute or two passed in silence she glanced up at Santana who was watching her with a strange expression on her face “I-I’m sorry. I shouldn’t be here. You’re Quinn’s friends first and foremost and I shouldn’t be here and…I’m just going to…” she motioned to the door with the bottle in her hand and moved to stand up.
“Shut up?” Santana offered as she placed a hand on Rachel’s knee to stop her attempt to get up. “And stay where you are? Good idea.”
Rachel’s brow furrowed slightly at the statement.
“What Santana means is you’re our friend too.” Brittany corrected her girlfriend as she traced light circles on Rachel’s back “And we’re not going to let you leave when you’re this upset.”
“But you’ve been Quinn’s friends for longer than you’ve been mine.” Rachel insisted shakily “If she needs you…”
“Quinn won’t come here.” Santana said, her expression torn between troubled and stony “Trust me.”
Rachel nodded mutely in response, though she didn’t really understand the Implication of what was being said.
“What happened to your shoulder?” Santana asked hurriedly, her gaze drawn back to the red mark.
Rachel flushed slightly at the question “I was in a hurry to get away from the school and the door swung shut faster than I anticipated.” She fell silent for a moment before speaking up again “Are you sure you don’t mind me being here? I just really don’t want to be alone tonight.”
“Of course we don’t mind.” Santana slung her arm across Rachel’s shoulders and pulled her close “Right Britt?”
“Right.” Brittany confirmed.
Santana didn’t say anything when Rachel turned fully into the embrace but she did sigh when she recognised the sensation of tears against her neck. If Rachel was in that kind of state after the break up there was no telling what Quinn would be like, even if she had initiated it and if she was honest with herself Santana was beyond worried.
TBC.
Chapter 5
“Quinn!” Brittany exclaimed as she jogged down the corridor after the power walking blonde. The girl in front of her turned a corner and Brittany quickly followed but upon turning the corner she stopped short when she found that Quinn had disappeared. She heaved a sigh, her shoulder slumping in defeat as she glanced down at her shoes.
“Britt!”
Brittany looked up to see Santana walking briskly towards her with Rachel hot on her heels.
“Where were you running to?” Santana asked in confusion “I called out to you and you ignored me.”
“Sorry.” Brittany frowned as she glanced back down the hallway, hoping to catch a glimpse of Quinn. The blonde had been avoiding her all day but every now and then Brittany would catch a glimpse of Quinn leaning against a locker or something, watching her “Quinn was…here before.” Brittany bit her lip and looked down at her shoes “She’s been avoiding me all day.”
“Don’t worry Brittany, I’m sure it’s not you.” Rachel murmured comfortingly, though she looked downright depressed by what she was saying “She won’t speak to me either and I’ve tried numerous times to initiate conversation.”
“She said that I upset her though.” Brittany disagreed sadly “And I made her cry yesterday and now she won’t talk to me.”
Santana looked away, a sickening feeling of guilt bubbling up in her stomach. She was aware that to some degree Quinn not talking to Brittany was her fault and the fact that the girl in question was avoiding Rachel too was worrying. Santana was still pissed off at Quinn but she really didn’t want her friend to go through what she was going through alone “Wait…Did you say you talked to Quinn yesterday? When you stayed back after school to practice?”
“Yeah.” Brittany nodded “She said that you told her that we’re leaving and then she got really upset. I tried to hug her but she wouldn’t let me and then she kind of yelled at me so I wouldn’t answer her for a minute and she just left.”
Santana blinked at the long winded statement “She didn’t say or do anything else though?”
“Just that she’s upset that I didn’t tell her the truth.” Brittany answered regretfully “Do you think she’s mad at me for not talking to her after she yelled at me?”
“I don’t think so Britt.” Santana murmured distractedly.
“Where are you going?” Rachel asked rather bluntly causing both Brittany and Santana to glance at her “I’m sorry. I’ve been wondering since last night when Quinn stopped by.”
“Quinn was with you last night?” Santana frowned in confusion.
“She came by my house after her...encounter with Brittany.” Rachel explained hesitantly “She seemed rather upset and she told me it was because you and Brittany were leaving.”
Santana smirked sarcastically “At least I got a mention.”
“So where are you going?” Rachel asked impatiently “There’s nothing wrong with either of you is there? Despite Quinn’s reassurances I’ve been incredibly worried about the reason for your sudden departure.”
“I managed to get onto a medical course at NYU.” Santana answered briefly.
“Oh my…That’s brilliant Santana!” Rachel exclaimed enthusiastically “I’m so happy for you!” she paused for a moment as something sank in “Wait…you’re going to be in New York? Both of you are going to New York after you graduate?”
“That’s the plan.”
“I’m going to be in New York!” Rachel exclaimed joyously “You’re going to be in New York with me!”
“Duh.” Santana smirked “But be quiet Berry…the best part is yet to come.” She noticed that Rachel was about to question her so she held up a hand to stop any oncoming questions “Brittany? Do you want to tell her?”
Brittany nodded excitedly as Rachel glanced at her in anticipation “Santana helped me send a tape to Juilliard and I have an audition next week!”
Rachel was completely silent for a moment as she absorbed the news but her stoic response quickly faded, to be replaced with a wide grin “Oh My God, I’m so happy for you Britt!” She gleefully clasped her hands together and practically bounced towards Brittany to hug her tightly.
Brittany laughed as she returned the hug, a slight flush to her cheeks “I’m not in yet.”
Rachel made a sound of disbelief and pulled away with a warm smile “There’s no way they’ll say no to you. You’re…” she fell silent for a moment, trying to think of a word to describe the girl in front of her “Breath-taking.”
Brittany bashfully ducked her head “Thanks Rach.”
Rachel squealed excitedly and pulled away from Brittany to compulsively hug Santana who returned the embrace for only a second before pulling away and glancing around to make sure nobody was around to see. Not that she was embarrassed or anything, she just didn’t want Quinn to get the wrong idea again. She scoffed at the thought and shook her head.
“We’re going to New York…together!” Rachel repeated excitedly “All four of us…In New York. It’s like a dream come true. We could get an apartment together o-or if we can’t afford it, Brittany and I could find campus accommodation and you and Quinn could find somewhere close to stay.”
“I wouldn’t be so sure about that.” Santana murmured, glancing in the direction in which she assumed Quinn had left.
“What do you mean?” Rachel deflated slightly at the statement.
“Nothing.” Santana answered briefly before she slipped her hand into Brittany’s “Come on Britt, we’re late to class.” She started down the hallway, only to glance back over her shoulder “Coming Berry?”
Rachel stayed still for a moment before she obediently followed, slightly troubled by Santana’s comment but mostly brightened by the prospect of their futures.
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Quinn glanced up from the piano keys she was skimming her fingers across when she heard somebody stealthily enter the room. She usually wouldn’t have noticed the noise but she had her eyes closed at the time to bask in the peace and quiet, hence heightening her other senses. She was slightly surprised to find Rachel slowly approaching her. She swallowed heavily and briefly averted her eyes back to the pristine white piano keys “How did you know where to find me?”
“I had a sneaking suspicion that you would want to be on your own and this is where you come when you want to be alone.” Rachel answered as she reached the piano. She skimmed her fingers along the glossy black finish and took a moment before speaking “School finished over an hour ago, Quinn.”
“I know.” Quinn murmured with a shrug of her shoulders “I didn’t really feel like going home so I decided to hang out in here.”
“Are you avoiding me?” Rachel asked warily.
Quinn didn’t answer but she did look up to meet Rachel’s eyes.
Rachel quickly realised that Quinn wasn’t going to answer and spoke up again “Brittany told me that she’s going to New York.” She didn’t fail to notice Quinn’s flinch at the mention of Brittany’s name and made a mental note “I don’t understand why you’re so mad at her.”
“I’m not mad at her.” Quinn said quickly “I’m really not.”
“If you’re weren’t mad you would be telling her that instead of me.” Rachel pointed out reasonably “But Quinn, there’s really no need to be mad. I know you think that you’re going to miss them but they’re going to be in the same city as us and…”
“I’m not going to New York Rachel.” Quinn said bluntly.
“W-what?” Rachel trailed off and stared at Quinn speechlessly “What do you mean you’re not going?”
Quinn stood up and walked around the piano to stand in front of Rachel. For the first time since Rachel had walked in she recognised the irony in their current situation. It was the second time she would be ‘sending Rachel on her way’ yet they were still in the same place, at least physically.
“I’m a Lima loser Rachel, let’s face it.” Quinn murmured, her voice almost a whisper “And I refuse to hold you back from your dreams.”
“What? No!” Rachel quickly shook her head, her expression pained “Quinn, don’t say that about yourself. You can do so much more than you think you can. You…”
“I can’t.” Quinn exclaimed firmly, effectively interrupting Rachel’s statement “I can’t do this anymore Rachel. I can’t…” she glanced up as she felt tears clouding her eyes “I can’t be with you anymore.”
“I-I don’t understand.” Rachel said, her voice thick with emotion “You’re breaking up with me?”
“Yes.” Quinn whispered, closing her eyes to avoid looking into hurt brown eyes “I’m breaking up with you.”
“Is there somebody else? Everything you said yesterday about being in love with two people...Were you talking from personal experience?”
Quinn’s eyes sprung open in alarm at the wounded question and she stared at Rachel in stunned silence for a moment.
“Oh God.” Rachel whimpered in response to Quinn’s revealing lack of an answer. She braced herself with a hand on the piano as tears overwhelmed her “Oh God…”
“No…No!” Quinn finally answered firmly. Hearing a sob spring from Rachel’s throat she stepped forward and hovered close to her “There’s…I…Rachel, I love you. You have to believe me.”
“Then why are you doing this?” Rachel pleaded emotionally “Why would you want to throw away everything we have together? Please tell me Quinn because I really don’t understand what I’ve done wrong and I need…” a sob sprang unwillingly from Rachel’s throat and Quinn instinctively pulled her close, gently shushing her despite her own tears and rising emotions.
“I’m so sorry.”
“I love you.” Rachel fiercely whispered into Quinn’s shoulder.
“I know.” Quinn turned her head and lightly planted a kiss just above Rachel’s ear “I love you too.”
“Then don’t do this.” Rachel begged, clinging to the taller girl for dear life “Please don’t do this.”
Quinn took a deep breath before forcing herself to pull away from the desperate grip “I have to. I have to do this.”
“You don-“
“I do!” Quinn insisted emotionally “Don’t make this any harder for me than it already is Rachel. Just…” she swallowed against the lump in her throat “Just leave me alone, okay?”
Rachel stared at Quinn tearfully “Quinn…”
“GO!” Quinn practically yelled, her own emotions getting the best of her as tears spilled down her cheek “Just LEAVE!”
Rachel’s tears thickened at Quinn’s yelling but she obediently whirled around and rushed for the door, a sob springing from her throat as she did so.
“Fuck.” Quinn muttered as she sank back onto the piano bench. She dropped her head into her hands and mentally cursing herself, dissolved into quiet sobs.
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“Alright, already we’re coming!” Santana exclaimed as she reluctantly pulled away from the kiss she was sharing with her girlfriend and glanced towards the door. She looked back at a pouting Brittany with a questioning expression “Do you want me to get it?”
“No.” Brittany answered before surging back up into the kiss, simultaneously locking her legs around Santana’s waist to pull her back down. Having not expected the sudden move Santana let out a muffled squeak against Brittany’s lips but promptly returned the kiss and applied her weight to her arms so as not to squish the girl underneath her. Santana moaned softly as the said blondes hand snuck under her shirt to lightly caress her lower back. She wasn’t exactly eager to answer the door, taking into account that it had taken almost an hour for Santana to stop Brittany fretting about Quinn so it would be a rather dramatic understatement to say that Santana wanted their make out time to continue uninterrupted. Another ring of the bell however caused her to groan irritably as she once again pulled away from the kiss and glared in the direction of the door “They’re not going away.”
“Ignore it.” Brittany leaned up on her elbow and latched her lips onto Santana’s neck, sucking lightly at the skin there. Santana bit her lip as teeth lightly grazed her neck and lifted a hand to tangle into Brittany’s free flowing hair, her eyes inadvertently sliding shut. She had just about forgotten about the annoying person at the door when the doorbell rang three times in rapid succession. Detecting Santana’s distraction Brittany stopped what she was doing and slumped back onto the couch, an annoyed pout fixed upon her lips.
“I’m going to kill whoever is at that fucking door.” Santana muttered angrily as she reluctantly lifted herself off her girlfriend and stood up. She continued muttering Spanish curses on the way to the door which upon reaching she angrily yanked open “What do you wa-?” she trailed off in shock when she recognised exactly who was standing in front of her. None other than Rachel Berry was hovering in the doorway, her cheeks tear stained and her arms wrapped tightly around herself as if in a vain attempt to hold her emotions together “Berry?”
Rachel shuffled her feet sheepishly “I-I didn’t know where else to go.”
Santana stared at the girl in shocked silence for a moment before she noticed that Rachel’s bottom lip was starting to wobble, indicating that she was seconds away from bursting into tears again “Of course…come in.” Santana stepped out of the doorway and quickly ushered the tearful girl into the house before closing the door behind them. She turned around, opening her mouth to call Brittany for assistance but the words died on her lips as Rachel stepped forward to wrap her arms around her neck “Oh.” Santana was completely still for a moment before she tentatively lifted her arms and somewhat awkwardly returned the embrace. They stayed like that for a minute before Rachel released a soft sob, the sound muffled slightly by Santana’s neck.
“What’s going on?”
Santana glanced up to see a worried looking Brittany leaning against the doorway to the living room but quickly turned her attention back to Rachel who was clearly growing more distressed by the second. She ignored her girlfriends question for the time being and began to carefully disentangle herself from the sobbing brunette. The feat was slightly more difficult than she had anticipated due to Rachel’s desperate grip and eventually she was forced to lightly pull the other girls arms from around her neck, holding them firmly between them “Rachel, what’s wrong? Did something happen to Qui…” Santana was in the process of scanning Rachel’s face for any indication of what had happened but she was distracted as she spotted something red on Rachel’s shoulder. Her eyes flicked over and she felt a sickening sensation form in her stomach when she spotted Rachel’s ripped shirt and quickly reddening shoulder “Who the fuck did that?” without waiting for a response, she pulled down the material to further reveal the mark just as Brittany walked over to join them. The blonde placed a hand on Rachel’s back and began to trace small comforting circles there.
“Was it Jewfro?” Santana demanded to know, looking incensed at the thought “I knew I shouldn’t have listened to you when you told me not to beat the shit out of him for stalking you. I’m going to fucking kill the bastard!” she turned around and made to storm towards the door but a hand grasped her wrist, effectively halting her. Santana turned to see Rachel tearfully shaking her head. Despite her anger the silence only further unnerved her and she glanced at Brittany in worry.
“Rachel, you’re scaring us.” Brittany stated as if she knew exactly what Santana was thinking “Please say something…anything.”
Rachel glanced up at Brittany through teary eyes and the distressed look on the blondes face stirred her to finally say something “It wasn’t him.”
Santana breathed a sigh of relief at the fact that Rachel was actually talking to them as opposed to staying completely silent “Well who was it? Finn? Because I’ll fucking take him down too!”
“Santana.” Brittany warned softly as she watched Rachel become noticeably more distressed when faced with Santana’s anger. She purposefully locked eyes with Santana, silently telling her to calm down before turning back to Rachel “Ra…”
“Quinn broke up with me!” Rachel emotionally exclaimed before promptly bursting into tears again.
Brittany glanced at Santana in shock but the latter seemed unsurprised by Rachel’s revelation. She did however look slightly confused as her eyes flicked back to Rachel’s shoulder “Quinn wouldn’t…” she trailed off and shook her head in disbelief. Quinn might not have been on her list of favourite people in that moment but Santana knew that she would never do anything to harm Rachel. At least physically if the sight in front of her was anything to go by.
Brittany quickly drew Rachel into a comforting embrace and looked worriedly at Santana as if she was unsure of what else to do in the situation.
Santana watched Rachel sobbing softly into Brittany’s chest for a moment before turning away to take a deep calming breath. She had been aware of Quinn’s emotional problems, especially since their locker confrontation but she hadn’t realised that it had progressed to a level that would warrant Quinn breaking up with Rachel “This is such a mess.” She turned back to Rachel and Brittany after a couple of silent moments, filled with only the soft sound of Rachel crying to find that Brittany was watching her curiously over Rachel’s head “Britt, can you help Rachel to the couch? It looks like she’s going to fall over or something.”
Brittany stared at Santana for a moment before she nodded in response and pulled away from Rachel’s tight grip to lead her into the living room.
Santana watched them go before turning and heading in the direction of the kitchen “Shit, shit, shit, shit…” she muttered agitatedly under her breath. Knowing that Quinn was in love with Brittany was hard enough but the fact that her best friend had broken up with Rachel presented her with a brand new problem. With another soft curse Santana agitatedly pulled open the fridge door and grabbed a bottle of water before heading back to the living room. When she got there she found Rachel and Brittany sitting on the couch, the former leaning into the latter’s side with tears streaming freely down her cheeks. Despite the discouraging sight Santana was relieved to find that Rachel’s sobs had died down to soft whimpers.
“Here.” Santana handed the cold bottle of water to Rachel before sitting down close to the diva’s side.
Rachel frowned down at the bottle in her hand as if she wasn’t sure what she was supposed to do with it. After a minute or two passed in silence she glanced up at Santana who was watching her with a strange expression on her face “I-I’m sorry. I shouldn’t be here. You’re Quinn’s friends first and foremost and I shouldn’t be here and…I’m just going to…” she motioned to the door with the bottle in her hand and moved to stand up.
“Shut up?” Santana offered as she placed a hand on Rachel’s knee to stop her attempt to get up. “And stay where you are? Good idea.”
Rachel’s brow furrowed slightly at the statement.
“What Santana means is you’re our friend too.” Brittany corrected her girlfriend as she traced light circles on Rachel’s back “And we’re not going to let you leave when you’re this upset.”
“But you’ve been Quinn’s friends for longer than you’ve been mine.” Rachel insisted shakily “If she needs you…”
“Quinn won’t come here.” Santana said, her expression torn between troubled and stony “Trust me.”
Rachel nodded mutely in response, though she didn’t really understand the Implication of what was being said.
“What happened to your shoulder?” Santana asked hurriedly, her gaze drawn back to the red mark.
Rachel flushed slightly at the question “I was in a hurry to get away from the school and the door swung shut faster than I anticipated.” She fell silent for a moment before speaking up again “Are you sure you don’t mind me being here? I just really don’t want to be alone tonight.”
“Of course we don’t mind.” Santana slung her arm across Rachel’s shoulders and pulled her close “Right Britt?”
“Right.” Brittany confirmed.
Santana didn’t say anything when Rachel turned fully into the embrace but she did sigh when she recognised the sensation of tears against her neck. If Rachel was in that kind of state after the break up there was no telling what Quinn would be like, even if she had initiated it and if she was honest with herself Santana was beyond worried.
TBC.