A/N: Continuing the ritual of this being written whilst in the middle of DDs, here you go. :}

After the first game where she'd participated in cheerleading, Rachel was unabashedly looking forward to the post-game party. Held at some random senior's house, she'd barely chirped her plans to her dads before Brittany was pulling her towards Quinn's car. "C'mon," the blonde smiled at her, "Time to fully become the cheerleader you're determined to be."

Deciding not to object too strenuously, Rachel slid into the backseat. Avoiding Quinn's dark eyes in the rearview mirror, she likewise tried to ignore how hot Santana's body was against her side.

"So," Santana asked, fingers absently wrapped around her knees, the girl already dressed in one of her trademark dresses, a dark green with black stripes, "Excited for your first party?"

Rachel almost tossed her hair. "This is not my first party," she sniffed imperiously, "I hosted that glee party at my house, remember?"

"Really," Quinn snorted from the driver's seat, "That doesn't count. This is a high school party. An honest to god high school party. The Titans won. We're expected to show up and hold the Cheerios' distinction of being unobtainable."

Rachel swallowed. "That means…"

Brittany grinned, leaning in to whisper loudly into her ear, "We need to be sexy and play with everyone on the team."

"Even Puck and… Finn?"

Santana shifted. "Even them." Her voice was studiously unemotional.

Maybe that was why the two boys had never invited her to an after game party before. Rachel shifted as well. She didn't know if she was comfortable with this aspect of her new identity.

Somehow, Quinn must have caught her uncertainty. "Berry," she sighed deeply, voice censoring, "This is part of being a Cheerio. You don't want to do this, you can't – "

"I can do it!" Pushing forward, almost yelling, Rachel hoped the blonde didn't think she was backing down. She'd joined the Cheerios to become more visible for her, after all.

Santana's hand was suddenly on her knee. "Rachel," the girl practically growled, turning her head to stare intently at her, "Do you honestly know what's expected of you?"

Staring down at her hand, Rachel hoped the shiver making its way through her body was unnoticeable. "Anything other than full on intercourse," she forced out, keeping herself stiff and sounding uninterested, "I assume is warranted?"

Brittany slid her arm around her waist, pulling her towards her and forcing Santana's hand from her knee in reaction. "Right!" the girl smiled down at her, "We need to stroke and congratulate the guys. Since you're new, and, well… You, I'll stick by you, kay?"

Meeting Quinn's dark eyes in the mirror, eyelashes fluttering as she flicked her eyes toward Santana a second later, Rachel forced a smile to her face. "I'm the new meat, huh?" she whispered.

"Yeah," Santana said flatly, "Congratulations."

The party was already in full swing when the quartet arrived. Immediately washed in the heat of numerous bodies and alcoholic vigor, Rachel accepted the drink Brittany shoved at her. "C'mon," the blonde giggled, tugging her through the house to take stock of the full scene, "We need to find the guy barely paid attention to."

Trying to keep up, Rachel blinked back at her, head bobbling on her neck as she tried to make sure Quinn was still with her. "Britts," she gasped, "This is, this is counterintuitive!"

"I don't know what that means." Smiling, Brittany zeroed in on a quiet Karofsky, slowly drinking from a Solo cup in the corner of the living room, "But we're needed here."

"Berry?" the boy practically squeaked when he focused blood-shot eyes on her, "I thought I was hallucinating earlier. Damn, you're like, actually hot."

Not liking how confused and surprised he seemed, Rachel gave the boy a tight smile. "I've always been this way," she informed him stiffly, trying to crane her head unobtrusively to the side to see where Quinn had gone, "You're just drunk."

Karofsky blinked. "You need to dance with me."

It wasn't a request, and with Brittany's palms pushing against her lower back, Rachel suddenly found herself on the dance floor with the much huskier boy. Tamping down on her anger at how he had treated Kurt earlier that year, Rachel tried to smile up at him. "Did you enjoy the game?"

"Fuck yeah," the boy grinned, somehow seeming relieved at the direction the conversation was going in, "We like, ruled."

Rachel smiled fakely. "Good for you," she murmured, trying to ignore how hot Karofsky's hand was around her hand and on her waist, "You're advancing into the semi-finals."

Enthused, Karofsky seemed more interested in talking about where the Titans were going than actually celebrating with a Cheerio. Telling herself it wasn't because she was the Cheerio supplied to him, Rachel only stepped up her attention when she realized it was Quinn wrapped up in Finn's arms across the room and, for some reason, Santana wrapped up in Puck's arms in the corner. Only Quinn, she tried to hiss to herself, willing herself to forget the confusion Santana had been supplying her for the past two weeks, only Quinn.

When two songs ended, Brittany was suddenly back at their sides, whisking Rachel away; back to the kitchen and to another drink. "You having fun?" she yelled louder than she had to, fingers grasping at the waist of Rachel's summer dress.

"Kind of?" Rachel replied. Unwilling to fully share what she was feeling, she pushed against Brittany's forearm. "Join me, join me outside?"

"Just a minute." Swiping two cups of something obviously very alcoholic, Brittany followed Rachel out the front door and onto the front yard, pretty much dropping onto the grass. "Here," she smiled, taking a deep swig of her drink and urging Rachel to do the same, "I think you need this more than, more than…" She giggled, "Me."

"I think so too," Rachel admitted. Holding her breath, forcing herself to swallow the bitter alcohol, she found herself leaning against the blonde's strong shoulder. "Thank you," she whispered.

Brittany leaned against her as well. "For what?" Her voice was almost flat and loud, like she didn't realize how she was talking.

Rachel didn't care, though. "For being, like…" Pausing, Rachel realized she was a bit drunker than she'd meant to become earlier in the evening. Well, she shrugged, too late now. Hopefully Quinn wouldn't fault her.

Wait… Where was Quinn now, anyway?

Blinking, Rachel tried again. "For… For being here? With me?" Her voice rose.

"Duh!" Almost laughing at her, Brittany knocked her shoulder against Rachel's. "You're a baby Cheerio. You're like, a Campbell soup Cheerio."

…Okay. Taking a sip instead of answering, Rachel sighed. "Brittany…" she whispered, randomly seriously, "Am I doing the right thing?"

"Probably not." Her response fast and immediate, Brittany gave Rachel a searching look. "Tell me," she cocked her head, "Who do you want to be here with?"

Quinn, Rachel wanted to snap. Duh.

But, for some reason, the girl's name caught in her throat. Clearing it, Rachel blinked owlishly. "Q-Quinn," she stuttered.

"Right." Sounding noncommittal, Brittany swished her drink in her mouth. Swallowing, she poked Rachel's side, making her squeak. "Rachel. Who were you more jealous of? Puck or Finn?" Her lips turned up. "Or maybe Artie?"

"Artie?" Rachel winced at how sharp her voice had become. Why Artie?

Brittany smirked. "I was dancing with him." Waving her hand, she wrinkled her nose. "Just kidding. I know you're not interested in me. However. Like. Puck? Or Finn?"

Rachel wanted to say Finn. He was the one dancing with Quinn, right? And it was Quinn she wanted, right? It was Quinn who she'd started on this path for, right? Quinn, who'd made her heart pound, her mouth dry, her being ache for.

Quinn.

Opening her mouth, no matter how drunk she was becoming, Rachel couldn't answer. Feeling her eyes start to burn, Rachel looked up at the blonde. "Brittany?" she whispered.

"Yeah?"

"I'm not doing the right thing, am I?"

Brittany sighed. Poking her again, the girl wrapped her arm around her shoulder, pulling her in close. "No," she half-smiled, looking at Rachel from the corner of her eye, "You're really, really not."

Rachel melted into her, resting her head against Brittany's sternum. "Why couldn't it be you?"

Letting out a light laugh, Brittany knocked her drink against Rachel's. "Because I'm too awesome for you," she said with complete conviction.

Rachel found herself completely agreeing.

Twenty minutes later, even drunker than she'd been, Rachel had to laugh when she realized she was the surprise prize in the Titans/Cheerios game of Truth or Dare. Meeting Santana's dark gaze across the kitchen floor, she couldn't help the wild smirk crossing her mouth. Why not? she tilted her head, lips curving up, it wasn't like Quinn would fault her.

She glanced at the blonde, enjoying the dark expression on her face.

Nope, she smirked, pushing forward so her lips trembled against Santana's, eyes closing when the girl's hand cupped the back of her neck, Quinn couldn't fault her at all.