This was humiliating. Not only was she exposed as Lucy Caboosey once again, but who else but the one person she most wanted to never learn the truth would find her alone and crying? "Yes. It's true. This isn't my nose. This isn't my hair. I had laser surgery on my eyes. I am everything I fought against and ridiculed others for facing. I am nothing like this. And what's worse, I am ashamed that I was ever anything other than the hot seventeen year old." There. She'd said it. Now she would leave and not only make sure the whole Glee club knew, but she'd never speak to her again. She waited. Nothing happened. She actually peeked out between her hands to make sure the shorter girl hadn't disappeared. But no, the hand was hovering in front of her now, as if trying to decide whether to lash out or comfort.
"I'm sorry, Rachel. For everything. I moved here and you reminded me of me at my school with how people treated you and I wanted so badly to be popular that I started picking on you too. And then when Finn had the GALL to like you instead of me, it just made me madder. How could you succeed where I had failed so badly? I wanted to hate you; I tried so hard. But then, the more time went by, the more, well, this." Summing up all her courage, she struck. As she lifted her head from her hands, she reached out and tugged on the one in front of her, pulling the brunette down to her level. As she opened her mouth to protest, Quinn did the thing she had been dreaming of for as long as she could remember now. She kissed Rachel.
It wasn't the prettiest of kisses. It was a terrible angle, the floor was hard, her hand was caught in part of Rachel's hair, tugging it awkwardly. But the kiss remained. It went on, though with very little movement. Each of them moved only her lips, and even that was slight. The repeated pressing and coming apart of cherry and bubble gum lip glosses might not have been the stuff that boys wet dreams were made of, but each little kiss was an affirmation that this was real. Eventually, of course, they had to separate for good. It was Rachel who pulled back. She had fallen to her knees, and stayed there, sitting back on her heels to look better in the blonde girl's eyes.
"Why? Why, Quinn? Why now? Because Santana is finally getting brave with Brittany? So you know that it's safe to do that, to explore your sexuality and maybe see if you can get a bonus of breaking my heart PERSONALLY rather than just through boys? Just because I have two gay dads doesn't mean that I automatically am willing to be your test subject. Save that for junior college. Getting stepped on by a girl would hurt just as much as by a guy, and you even more." The last sentence cut off abruptly. Quinn jumped on it.
"By me? What do you mean by that? Rachel, I..." she sighed. "It'd be much easier if I let you think that was what I was doing. But I think somewhere along the time of hating you and fighting with you, I learned what they saw in you. And if you'll have me, I think I'd like to try that kiss again. Or you can slap me and go tell the whole school that Quinn - or Lucy I suppose, if you want to go all out on the embarrassment factor - Fabray just tried to kiss you in the bathroom, what a whore she is! But I... I really do want to do that again." Deciding that it was now or never, she closed her eyes and waited for the slap, for the sound of Rachel heading out to tear down the one last shred of dignity she might have at this school. Instead she felt soft lips press to her forehead. Then her left eyelid, followed by the right. Left cheek. Right cheek. A wet little peck to the tip of her surgically precise nose, which she wrinkled at the sensation.
Then nothing. Her brow furrowed as she waited. THe kisses had made her think this was going to be okay, but now she was terrified. "Um, Rachel?" Silence. She opened her eyes to find Rachel's chocolate orbs staring deep into hers. The fact that Rachel was turning red from obviously holding her breath so as to not give away her position ruined the potential romantic situation she found herself in. She smiled and reached out unthinkingly, grabbing the puffed up cheeks and pulling the brunette in for a deep, loving kiss. She giggled as the breath whooshed out of the small girl, laughter followed by wheezing coming with it.
"Damn. You. Quinn," Rachel fought to get her breath back from the combination of shock and laughter. By the time she had her oxygen levels back to where they needed to be, the moment had broken. "Couldn't you let me kiss you my own way? I was going to, really. I love you too, you bitch." When the giggles that had continued to issue from the blonde stopped instantly, she realized her mistake. "Um, let me rephrase."
"No, you said you love me. You said you love me, TOO. Rachel, have you known how I felt through this whole thing with Finn? Why didn't you say something? You're the one with all the confidence, why didn't you tell me?" Fears and anger started to war within her again. "Why Rachel?"
"Because I DIDN'T know for sure, okay? Because you could make any of those boys come with a crook of your finger and I wanted you to crook yours at me. I'm a romantic person by nature, Quinn. You know this. I wanted to be romanced, to be desired. Besides, I didn't think you'd ever actually tell me. I thought you'd keep it bottled up until you got drunk at some party and kissed Santana or something." Pale cheeks colored profusely. "You're kidding me, really? Wow, you'll have to tell me about that sometime. But either way, don't you have something to say to me?" Rachel finished speaking and looked up with hopeful eyes.
"Rachel Berry, I'm very sorry that I lied to you. Hi, my name is Lucy Quinn Fabray. I prefer Quinn. I think you're beautiful and would very much like to ask you out on a date. And forgive my being forward, but I think I'm in love with you. Now then, about that date?"
The date discussion waited until the end of the day. For now, there was lip gloss to exchange, and words of love to be whispered.