Predator

Chapter Nine

---///---

I have a bad feeling in my gut when I walk up to the main entrance Monday morning.

The heavy door shuts behind me with a thud and I instantly feel the eyes on me. Damn my intuition. Slowly, I allow myself to look up from the ground; something I haven't done in weeks.

Everyone is staring at me.

The only sound is of my hesitant footsteps on the marble floor. This can't be my imagination, I realize, and my face flushes. I can hear snickering and whispering along the sides of the lockers, people look at me with expressions of distaste. I try to ignore it, but then I hear one particularly loud whisper, and a word that catches my attention. Pregnant.

And then it occurs to me; they know.

Before I can even begin to process this, Quinn appears out of nowhere and she grabs me by the shoulders. I see her lips form the words 'it wasn't me', but I don't hear them. There's a ringing in my head, or a loud buzz. What the hell?! Everyone knows! How did this happen, how could I trust her! I am such an idiot! I can't believe she told everybody! What kind of person would sink so low as to-

Santana comes around the corner with a sinister smile. She looks at Quinn, who promptly narrows her eyes, and I instantly know that she's behind this. "What's up, Lil Mama?" she smirks.

My voice is gone. I try to say something, I try so desperately to, but the words I want to say are stuck in my throat. I can't make a sound.

I want to die.

Santana grins over at Quinn, who is now hanging her head. And then she looks at me. "Congratulations. Really, I mean it!" she exclaims. "Of course, I had to hear the news from Juno over here."

I knew it. Quinn doesn't move her head, but I know that she can see me glaring at her.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Santana asks with mock-concern, sarcasm dripping from her voice. She puts her hand on my shoulder. "I thought we were friends."

"You bitch!" I finally spit, jerking away from her hand. She laughs.

"Two can play that game, Man-hands. Or should I say...Hobbit. Treasure-trail. RuPaul." With each word she takes a step closer to me, each more menacing than the last. Finally she stands over me, and glances at my stomach.

"Knocked-up slut," she says barely above a whisper, as if testing the words on her lips.

Before I can think, my hand swings up from my side and smacks her face with a loud, satisfying sound. Oh my god! What did I just do?!

Her head immediately snaps back up; instantaneously I know I'm dead and a squeak escapes my throat. I close my eyes waiting for the worst, but instead I hear her low, rueful chuckle.

"That was pathetic," she laughs. "And why me? I'm not the one who spoiled your little secret."

Santana walks away and as her laughter floats down the hallway, I remember who's standing beside me. I turn to her with the last ounce of confidence I have left. Her eyes search my face. I know she's wondering what I'm going to do, because I wonder the same thing. And only one thing keeps repeating itself in my head.

"You were my only friend!" is all I say, tears boiling in my eyes, before I hurry away in the opposite direction.

"Rachel! Wait!"

Tears are now flooding my cheeks. Somehow I find a bench in some deserted hallway and I practically collapse onto it. My life is over! How am I supposed to go on like this?! I already know that it's only going to get worse! Maybe I should just end this, maybe I should just do everyone a favor and jump off of a bridge! My poor child shouldn't be brought into this world, and I don't deserve to be in it any longer! It's clear that everyone hates me! I'm trash, I'm ruined, I'm just damaged goods! I need to die!