Chapter 6

A story about genetically programmed soul mates

Rachel's smile faltered as soon the blonde girl, whose name was apparently Quinn, immediately tried shut her out of the group. Rachel thought the glee club would be the one place she could feel accepted, but once again she was wrong. When Mr. Shue told her the glee club could use a voice like hers she felt needed. It had made her genuinely happy for the first time since she moved to Lima, but Quinn ruined it all in an instant.

The brunette stood up straight and put her smile back on her face. Quinn wasn't going to ruin this for her. "Regardless of what Quinn seems to think of me, I have prepared a piece to show all of you what I have to offer to this team. I chose this song to show each and every one of you that I am here to win and nothing is going to stop us from dominating at nationals this year."

Rachel looked over at the piano player and nodded for him to start. After a short intro from the band Rachel started to sing.

'Just a small town girl, Livin' in a lonely world She took the midnight train Goin' anywhere….'

As Rachel sang the members of the glee club perked up, as they became more excited she grew more confident. She moved around the room singing to every member individually and each of them seemed to enjoy her presence.

She danced around the room until the last note of the song which she had to stand still for because she belted it out as strong as she could. When she was finished everyone clapped for her. Everyone except for Quinn, who sat there with her arms crossed and her brow furrowed.

Mr. Shue clapped and told her to sit down with the rest of the group before he began with the assignment for the week. The assignment was a single word on the board, 'courage'. What the hell? How were they even supposed to complete that...Rachel thought to herself.

The assignment was to find songs that gave them courage, which she thought was stupid because it takes courage to sing in front of people anyway. It must be the effort that counts in this class. Rachel reasoned with herself.

When glee club was over Rachel walked back to her locker to get her backpack. She put in the combination and started looking through her things. She opened her planner to check what books she needed to take home. English, Spanish, and - "You don't belong here." Rachel quickly whipped around to find Quinn standing behind her.

"I…excuse me? Have I done something to make you angry? Because if I have, I sincerely apologize. If there is anything I can do t-" Quinn put her hand up motioning, for Rachel to stop talking.

"I want you to leave. That's what I want. Get out of my school. Get out of my town. I don't care. Just get out." Quinn was glaring at Rachel with so much hate in her eyes she seriously thought about just leaving Lima altogether.

Rachel took a moment to think about what she wanted to do. She didn't want to be a coward. She just moved here and she had done nothing wrong. Rachel Berry was not going to be forced out of her new home by a territorial cheerleader. Rachel put her hands on her hips and replied to Quinn's verbal attack. "Okay, no. You listen to me, Quinn Fabray. I just moved her because my dads are surgeons and they travel a lot. They are here to save lives okay? Don't tell me what to do because you don't own me. I don't know what your problem is and honestly I don't really care."

"I don't care why you are here Rachel. Just get out okay? Please just leave me alone. I don't need this. Especially not from you." Quinn's face fell, her shoulders slumped and what was once anger had now suddenly transformed to defeat. 

"What is going on? I don't understand why you are doing this. If there is something I can do to make this better..I will. Anything." Rachel took a step towards Quinn but the blonde winced and took a step back. Rachel gasped at the sudden movement.

Quinn's shoulders relaxed and she sighed, exhausted from trying to keep her worries away from Rachel. "Look down. At your wrist." Rachel looked down and saw the two red letters again. "How have you not felt that all day?"

"I did. It just gets hot but I don't know what it is…I was going to ask my dads when I got home." Rachel turned her wrist to touch the two letters again but got burnt again. She had never seen a mark up close before. Her fathers were never home and when they were they were in their work clothes. The long sleeves covered their arms all the time. "I've never seen one up close before."

Quinn scoffed "How have you never seen one? Everyone has them."

"Where I moved from no one is obsessed with them. We don't think about them, okay? Cut me a break. I know nothing about any of this stuff." Rachel looked down at it again.

"It's your sign." Quinn rolled her eyes and placed her hands on her hips. "You are an idiot. It figures I got you as my mate."

"I already know that I am not going to like you. I think this was a mistake," Rachel said moving her wrist back down, "I really don't understand why this is so hard for you. The stories I have heard about mates are nothing like this. You meet, fall in love, and that's it. I don't know why you are making this more difficult than it has to be."

"Because I don't like you. At all. I don't like your face, or your hair, or your stupid voice. You're good Rachel, honestly, you're very talented, but you need to leave me alone. I don't want to be your mate. I don't need you, I'm fine with Finn."

"What is this honestly about? The fact that you want to date Finn or because I'm a girl and you are a homophobe?"

Quinn raised and eyebrow and took a step towards Rachel. She felt the burning intensify but ignored it. She wanted to get rid of Rachel now, "You know what Rachel? This isn't about Finn, or being homophobic. It's about me being happy with my life right now and not wanting you coming and messing everything up. So please stay out of my life and we will be great mates."

Rachel grabbed her backpack, slammed the door of her locker and stormed off not even giving Quinn the satisfaction of looking back at her. She felt like she had been robbed of something every person should experience. She felt as though part of her heart had been taken from her.

Now that she knew who her mate was, she knew she would never truly have one. She couldn't live her life being innocently happy because she just hadn't met the right person yet. She met her and her mate didn't want her. Her entire life had been filled with rejection but this was the most heartbreaking rejection Rachel had ever experienced. She knew she would never get over this.

As she drove home that afternoon she looked down at her wrist. 'LF' That made no sense. Quinn's name started with a Q. But it was obviously not a mistake, her body had reacted to the blonde. She rubbed the now cool skin and wracked her brain for a reason it would be the wrong letter. It didn't matter now. She didn't need to know anything about Quinn Fabray.