Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
The odd bond that had brought them together had only strengthened and grown over the summer, until one day it had all changed again with a single kiss. Now Rachel was afraid it was all going to change back again. She was painfully aware of the powerful pull of popularity, and the havoc that allure could wreak. Quinn had changed, showering Rachel with attention and tenderness, but the specter of the old Quinn, her tormentor, was always lurking. She knew Quinn felt horribly about her past actions, she had tearfully told her on several occasions how sorry she was. Rachel had assured her each time that she forgave her, to forget the past, and instead focus on the future. Rachel wished she could believe her own words so easily, despite all her best efforts, a tendril of doubt still lingered. It wasn't that she didn't trust Quinn, she did. When they were alone together everything was perfect.
Of course that was the problem, the special bubble of isolation that had allowed them to grow and nurture their fledgling relationship had dissipated. School had started, and Sue Sylvester had wasted no time reclaiming her former captain, the Cheerios had swooped in soon after to reclaim their re-throned queen. Rachel had subtly tried to persuade Quinn that joining the cheering squad would be a bad idea. Quinn had assured her, quite bluntly, that Rachel had nothing to worry about and that nothing would change between them. Subtlety was another thing Rachel added to her list of self improvement projects.
She had wanted to press the issue but the wounded, slightly haunted look, which had entered Quinn's soft hazel eyes had forestalled her. Her girlfriend hated being reminded of that time when she had been less then loving, and frankly she didn't much like remembering it either. So she had dropped the subject, and vowed to stay positive, to not obsess about what could go wrong. Everything had been going well, okay it was only the first week of school, but a week with no slushy attacks was counted a success in her books, until the Cheerios had decided to throw this little bash. Rachel's first reaction to the news had understandably been disappointment, but she didn't want to stand in the way of Quinn regaining some of her old life back, and had encouraged her girlfriend to go and have fun with her friends, they could do movie night another time. Then Quinn had dropped the bombshell that she wanted Rachel to come along too.
Years of torment had taught her to be cautious, and her sense of self preservation was telling her that this was a bad idea. Beware Cheerios bearing false gifts, or in this case party invites. She may have a deep and abiding love for classic movie musicals, but even she recognized this as the cliched plot to almost every ugly duckling teen drama since 1980. She was poised to decline, but then Quinn was looking at her with that soft smile, slowly batting those big hazel eyes, and softly stroking her forearm. Before she knew it she was agreeing to attend. Which brought her to her current predicament, about to face a room full of former tormentors, the only real ally their former ring leader.
