guarding the heart

chapter 22: Messages

The two stopped walking upon reaching Rachel's classroom. "The only people who know what really happened are his family, and for once, Kurt isn't talking." Rachel swallowed and clutched her books to her chest. "It's a bit frustrating considering Kurt and Finn both call me their best friend. Now I can't get a straight answer from either of them."

The blonde nodded, then stepped towards her to talk more quietly. "Listen, I don't need to know what went down between you and Finn, but you're the best person to talk to him about everything. I mean, answering questions in history class and re-writing songs isn't a big deal, but he's about scared everyone to death in both the football and Cheerios teams by annihilating Bronson." She leaned in even closer, her voice almost a whisper. "I still have friends on the Cheerios dating football players. Latest rumour going around is that the team wants Coach Bieste to pull Finn's captaincy."

Rachel's eyes went wide with astonishment. "Pull his…why? Just because he defended me against a slushie attack?"

"No, because he broke Bronson's nose in two places and sent him to urgent care for six stitches. It's not exactly being a team player. But the other players are afraid to say anything to Finn for fear of getting the same treatment."

Rachel made a face. "That's ludicrous, Quinn. Bronson has been egging him on for weeks; Finn finally caved and just gave Bronson more than he could handle. He's not a loose cannon or anything, unlike other fellow Glee clubbers I could mention."

"Hey, this isn't about Puck." Quinn said quickly and defensively, her eyes narrowing.

Rachel smiled slightly at her. "Who said anything about Puck?"

The blonde opened and closed her mouth quickly, then shook her head to clear away the thought, knowing she'd been caught off guard. "Look, all I know is that Finn's seriously freaked out his team-mates, not to mention the whole cheerleading squad. Who's at fault or who started it doesn't matter. Finn finished it and in the process has all but alienated the entire team."

Rachel chewed the inside of her cheek a bit, a bad habit she'd picked up from Finn when lost in thought or concentrating, and nodded finally. "Alright, I'll talk to him."

Quinn smiled a bit. "Thanks Rachel. I appreciate it. Besides, the team needs him as quarterback if they're going to win their conference again." She turned to proceed to her own class.

"Quinn?"

The blonde half-turned around. "Yeah?"

"Thank Puck for me for the advanced warning."

Quinn sighed again and shook her head, but didn't contradict Rachel's guess. The young brunette grinned a bit and walked into class, sitting in her assigned desk and waiting (again) for Mrs. Turley to show up for the English lesson. She turned her binder over and opened up to a fresh page, only to be met with a bright blue sticky-note on the clean page with a handwritten note on it.

#1. Rachel,
Music is made here, that much we know.
Something awaits where we drank Virgin Cosmos.

She did a double take, scanning the note again to make sure she'd read it right. Once satisfied she sat back and stared intently, not believing what she was seeing.

A note, a rhyming note, plain as day, in her binder (which was in her locker) scrawled messily in a boy's handwriting.

She knew that boy's handwriting.

Finn's handwriting.

What are you up to, Finn? She thought to herself, even as her mouth curved into a beam of a smile while she lightly touched the note with her forefinger. Her imagination began carrying her away on the possibilities until she heard someone clear their throat. She looked up to see Mike staring at her questioningly. "Hi, Mike."