525,600 minutes

chapter 15

It was like very fine needles in her back; everywhere she went she could feel them in her back, the looks from friends, enemies and strangers alike.

"Did she get in alright?" Artie asked pulling up next to Rachel at her locker. The inside of her door was plastered with pictures from their night out at Bon Jovi as well as pictures of her and Indi and the guy he knew to be Carver making silly faces.

"Carver picked her up and she inhaled a hot dog within minutes." Rachel replied with a laugh. "She said she misses us but it felt good to smell the smog again."

"You must miss her."

"Of course but I'll be seeing her again soon." Rachel closed her locker and lead them in the direction of their class. "Besides we have to focus on Sectionals."

"And making sure Santana and Quinn don't try to kill you before then." Artie added not even joking.

"I've accepted that we will never be more than people who attend the same school and belong to the same Glee club; it would be nice if they could leave me to live my life in peace but I doubt it will happen."

"Yeah I don't think that's likely." Artie agreed pointing out the two cheerios who were ahead smirking at them, obvious malice in their eyes. "That doesn't look good."

"So Berry will you still have that bark now that your little bitch has gone back home?" Santana taunted.

"There's only one bitch I know and it's you!" Mercedes interjected, Rachel turned surprised to see the diva backing her up. "Why don't you just get over whatever this is and move on?"

"Oh so now you're on the freaks side too?" Quinn scoffed. "I thought we were friends?"

"We were." Mercedes agreed. "Until you started acting like the holier than thou mean girl you were last year. I thought having Beth had given you perspective, I thought you'd changed. But I was so wrong, and I was acting just like you until my man Kurt gave me the wake up call that I seriously needed."

"Kurt?" Artie mouthed to Rachel who shook her head; she hadn't known that he had spoken to Mercedes about her.

"Rachel I'm sorry for acting like such a bitch to you." Mercedes apologized sincerely. "You were right to call me out like you did. I was loving the spotlight that I got with you gone and I treated you like crap because I didn't want to give it up."

"I can definitely relate." Rachel laughed. "Thank you for apologizing."

"Well like Kurt says, us Divas need to stick together."

Impulsively Mercedes hugged the smaller girl, Kurt was right when it really came down to it her reasons for hating on Rachel were stupid and childish. She didn't want to be a Karofsky or Azimio, that's not how she wants to be remembered.

"Do my eyes deceive me or are these two divas hugging?" Kurt cried saddling up beside Artie.

"I was just apologizing." Mercedes explained, pulling away from Rachel. "I'm sorry for cutting you out too Artie, Tina's my girl but I didn't mean to just abandon you."

"Thanks." Artie nodded curtly, he was still weary of all of these people apologizing and suddenly seeing the error of their ways; he knew Rachel was apprehensive too, she was too stiff, her face too tight.

"Come on Q, let's get out of here before they start holding hands and infect us with their hippie germs." Santana spat out holding out her pinkie.

Quinn hesitated, Mercedes words had hurt more than she wanted to let on; she didn't want to be that girl again; Mercedes had been their for her when everyone else including Santana had ditched her.