Chapter Text
Chapter 1
Trophies were all Quinn Fabray could see in that office, covered in Cheerio's stickers and parafernalia. Behind her rigorous coach she could see three more trophies, organized by size, and things weren't different in her peripheral vision. It was to the point that it was kind of hard to get confortable in the room, that housed so many of those.
The blond was sitting in the red chair with WMHS CHEERIO'S emblazoned on it, trying not to fidget while Ms. Sylvester analyzed their options. The two accomplices were at a dead-end: they had to destroy the glee club that had been formed a few weeks ago, but with each passing day William Shuester's damn club seemed to get bigger and stronger. They even had a name, New Directions or something like that.
Even her boyfriend, Finn Hudson, had surrendered to that loser club, and that was inadmissible. All the Cheerio's captain wanted was her life back: the beautiful Quinn Fabray, the quarterback's girlfriend, perfect and fabulous. Not the title of girlfriend of the loser gay quarterback from glee club.
She had a reputation to maintain, an image that she fought very hard to achieve, for longer than Hudson could ever imagine. Still, her stupid "popularity" partner didn't seem to comprehend that! It wouldn't take long for the couple to become invisible in the crowd that filled the school halls — and, consequently, lose all the privileges that being popular brings.
"Coach, you saw that thing all over Finn during that stupid performance. That was so... Dirty! How can Finn be in the celibacy club and do that? Argh!" she huffed, with indignation overflowing from those beautiful and charming eyes. Sue Sylvester allowed herself a long sigh at the student's over-the-top drama.
"Fabray, I really don't give a damn about your boyfriend; however, you may pretend that yes, I do remotely care about you, so long as it motivates you to help me. The big question here is: would you be willing to do whatever it takes to destroy New Directions?" Sue questioned, setting a deadly glare on the pretty blond in front of her, as if she could read her mind and discover all of her darkest secrets (and nobody would doubt it if she actually could).
Even though she was intimidated by the not-at-all-kind older blond, Quinn kept her composure, lifted her head and, with a smirk, answered confidently, "Yes. I'll do whatever it takes crush Rachel Berry like the insect that she is and bring my boyfriend back to his senses."
"Very well. Just... Sign this contract." Sue pushed a paper filled with bureaucracies and a ballpoint pen to Quinn, who, despite biting her lips to prevent from grinning at the sight of something so serious for this kind of thing, signed without hesitation and without bothering to read the fine print. "Now let's talk about the plan."
"Very well", said Fabray, who smiled eagerly, making her ponytail bounce, and leaned forward with her hands on her lap, preparing herself for whatever it was that the Cheerio's coach was up to.
"It's a fact that Will Shuester is an extremely impertinent and meddlesome Lima Loser, but we both know that he could be easily destroyed by stealing his money and those millions of hair gel pots he keeps in his attic. We both know that macaroni hair is nothing but a mediocre adult feeding the dreams of even more mediocre children, correct?", Quinn nodded, "However, Q, that Rachel girl, she's a big thorn on our sides." Sue finished, taking off her glasses and slowly setting them on the table.
When she said the R word the air between got tense, almost as if the woman was telling a horror story around a campfire, with a flashlight lighting her face from below.
"And what do you suggest, Coach Sylvester? Do you want me to break that weird nose of hers or stick gum in her hair until she is bald?" Offered Quinn, in a clearly excited voice.
"Fabray, I play dirtier than that. When I want to win something, I do, and with class" stated Sue Sylvester, with a devilish grin on the corner of her lips, "Like Madonna once said, I'm tough, I'm ambitious, and I know exactly what I want. If that makes me a bitch, okay... By the way, I can guarantee you, Q, that she copied that phrase from me... Seriously, I said it first."
"Okay, so what's the plan then?" Asked the cheerleader, already tired of the way coach went around the subject before finally adressing it.
"Let's see, first we have to analyze the enemy: girls like Rachel Berry want to achieve success and make their pathetic and impossible dreams come true, but at the same time they want to have an epic romantic aventure."
"I know, she has her eyes set on my boyfriend!" Quinn reminded her, raising her voice rolling her eyes at Sue's statement of the obvious. Her chest tightened just by thinking of the possibility of being rejected by Finn Hudson. It's not as if she loved him or even cared about his feelings, because she didn't; but is there any greater humiliation than being dumped for someone like Rachel Berry?
"Matters involving simple high school crushes are simple. You want Rachel to back off of your boyfriend? Change the target of this stupid cupid's arrow, Q." Sue said, shrugging her shoulders.
"What do you mean Coach? You want me to hire a gigolo to seduce her? That would be torture... For the boy, of course." The blond crossed her arms and frowned, releasing a long sigh and trying very hard not to lose her sanity.
"Do I have to spell it out for you?" The Coach snapped, "Why would you spend money on gigolos when you can go there and do it yourself? Use your brain! I know you're not used to it, but try." Sue raised her eyebrows, victory and pride overflowing from her blue eyes, "You, Q, will seduce Rachel Berry and break her heart in six million tiny little pieces. Just distract her from Finn and glee club and everything will fall apart. Admit it... I really am a genius!" She gloated.
Quinn spent several seconds asking herself if she had really just listened those words being said by Sue Sylvester. Trying to process if what she had just heard was real. Her masterplan was to make Quinn Fabray, McKinley High's HBIC, seduce Rachel to destroy New Directions? The bizarre sweater creature, Rachel Berry? Seriously?
"I'm not doing that!" Quinn protested, "Coach, that's insane! It's the worst idea a human being could ever have, and that's considering that we've already detonated an atomic bomb in a populated city! First because I would never dare to touch that girl, she's a weirdo... Weirdness could be contagious! And second, I'm dating Finn, what do you think I'm going to do, break up with him and say that I'm in love with Rachel Berry? That's a completely absurd idea! And that thing clearly is into boys, just look at how she almost had an orgasm just from watching Finn doing those weird movements that he thinks passes for dancing."
Sue made a face, as if she was personally ofended that someone said that her idea was bad.
"Very nice of you, dear, to give me a list of reasons why my clearly great idea sucks. However, now I'll give you a simple list of reasons for you to play by my rules, Fabray. I mean, I will give you a reason that will literally end you, girl" A not-at-all-friendly smirk begins to form on the cheerleader's coach's face, leaving Quinn almost red with rage, her lean fingers trembling slightly, "Take a mirror and look at yourself; you're the younger and certainly worsened version of Sue Sylvester, but even then you're still presentable. Berry would definitely fall for you; beggars can't be choosers, anyway. And if weirdness were contagious, sweetheart, both you and me would be infected by now from having to be around buttchin and that jolly green giant you call boyfriend." Coach let out a scornful laugh, "But all of that is nothing compared to the one thing that gives you enough reasons to follow my rules: you signed a contract!"
"I-I-..." She stuttered, desperately trying to think of a response. Indeed, she had signed a contract, but she was hoping that the fine print on the paper was some sort of joke from the woman, or at least something easy, like dumping pig's blood on the gleeks, Carrie-style, or tearing their costumes, not something like breaking up with Finn to seduce her own rival. Only an extremely machiavellian mind could come up with such a plan and truly believe that it could really work.
She sighed, We are talking about Sue Sylvester, after all.
"Well, I for one don't think this will ever work" She let out, reluctant and with her arms crossed, hoping that somehow, her stance towards the woman's arguments would convince her.
"Well..." Sue seemed to hesitate and the Cheerio with an accelerating heartbeat allowed herself a little bit of optimism,"... I'm not exactly asking what you think, Q." She completed, smashing any sliver of hope she had left. "What I'm saying is that you will follow my plan, and if you don't want to, well, I would be happy to receive your Cheerio's uniform tomorrow morning. There are girls in this school that would do anything to wear it." The woman shrugged, taking a long sip from the vitamin shake she had on her desk. "Quinnie... You need me more than I need you."
"Coach, you can't do this! Cheerio's is my life!" Quinn complained, knowing that if that happened her image would be even more damaged than it already is. And if she accepted the plan? Seducing Rachel Berry wouldn't be good for her reputation either. Damn it, was she really considering it?
Not being on the Cheerio's was the same as having no reputation — they were the most popular bitches in school; all the girls wanted to be them and all the boys wanted to kiss them. And like an extremely shallow wise person once said: a bad reputation is better than no reputation at all.
"In the contract I witnessed you sign it says... Wait a minute..." She holds the paper in front of her and puts on her glasses, reading loud and clear, "'In the moment this contract is signed Sue Sylvester, the Cheerio's coach and the one responsible for all admissions into the cheerleading squad, has the authority to impose favors and rules to be followed; breach of contract will result in permanent expulsion from the squad'. Accept what I say, destroy the glee club and your reputation will remain completely intact."
Quinn laughed with sarcasm, even though she was still pissed.
"Of course ir won't be intact! Having anything to do with Rachel Berry is social suicide, coach. Just take a look at those green sweaters with deers on it, that hairstyle, those knee-high socks. Who would like that?"
"Your boyfriend did." Sue cut in, knowing that she would win that discussion. Quinn gaped, what the woman just said had made her even angrier, "You want to stay on the squad? Seduce Rachel and break her heart. Then you can go back to Finn Hudson, or free willy, which is how I affectionaly call him, without having to worry that he will go running to glee club, because once we destroy Berry, my dear, we destroy New Directions along with her."
For about a minute the blond remaimed expressionless, a minute spent analyzing her options and her situation. She, however, had no options. She didn't even had arguments to use against the coach, not even a word that could make Sue Sylvester see reason and realize how nonsensical that idea was.
In that moment, nothing came to mind. No doable idea about how to escape this situation without losing her place in the squad. If she refused, she would be "breaching the contract", and she would be kicked out of the squad. If she was off the squad she would fall right down to the bottom of the social ladder.
However, hanging around with Rachel Berry didn't sound like a good idea. It sounded like a terrible one, one that clearly wouldn't work. She could barely stand seeing her during science classes, much less flirt with her or anything like it. That would be akin to waterboarding!
She took a deep breath and gathered every bit of courage she could — which was exactly what she needed the most. No matter what came out of her mouth in the next moment, she was already defeated in the eyes of the losers at McKinley. No matter what she chose, her downfall was imminent.
"Okay..." She mumbled, her eyes slowly lifting to meet the woman's, "... Better to be a loser in a Cheerio's uniform than the other way around..." She thought out loud, before huffing displeased, "I'm gonna do this, and when I've crushed the glee club I'm gonna get Finn and my life back."
"I knew you were smart, Q." The coach smiled proudly and, after watching the beautiful Quinn Fabray for a few seconds, ordered her to leave the office,"Oh! Next time you create a social network account, read the Terms and Conditions before agreeing." She mocked, before watching the head cheerleader slam the door, looking very angry. "Ah, Faberry... Faberry! I like this name!"