𝐖𝐇𝐈𝐓𝐄 𝐅𝐋𝐔𝐅𝐅𝐘 𝐂𝐋𝐎𝐔𝐃𝐒 𝐃𝐎𝐓𝐓𝐄𝐃 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐀𝐙𝐒𝐔𝐑𝐄 𝐁𝐋𝐔𝐄 𝐒𝐊𝐘 as the sun beamed down beautifully, casting a golden glow upon the earth, or more specifically, McKinley's tenuous pitch. Quinn sat on the football pitch bleachers with the temperate wind blowing through her hair and the sun's rays beating softly on her supple skin. She could still see Atticus' eyes flicker over to where she sat occasionally like he was trying to  wriggle his way through her heart without even trying.

A mind game perhaps ? Most of the boys she went out with over the years always had their ways of making her fall head over heels. But most only boiled down to one person, one boy, Puckerman. Sometimes, a small part of her always wondered what she ever saw in him. He definitely wasn't brainy, and the dubious, slightly dopey charm that Finn just seemed to radiate daily was simply only fully dopey with him.

"Hey," the sudden shrill of Aerin's breathy voice made Quinn jump as she was instantly snapped out of her thoughts, " Did I scare you with my deep breathing again ?" she asked, a football helmet tucked gently under her arm.

" No," Quinn replied with a chuckle, crossing her legs whilst she adjusted her Cheerios skirt, "You just caught me off-guard. I was lost in another one of my many hazed daydreams."

Aerin scooted closer to her friend. "Oh I'm sorry," she apologised, her typical nonsensical sarcasm slipping into her tone, "Was it a good daydream though? Who was there ? Did you dream about riding off into the sunset on the back of Chad Michael Murray's motorcycle again ?"

Quinn's cheeks turned to soft pink as she leaned to wack Aerin on her knee. During the beginning of Junior High, circa 2006, her fascination for One Tree Hill had spiked at an uncomfortable all time high. A sense of euphoria always took over her whenever she managed to break through her father's protective pin ( which was Frannie, aka another subtle way of her father's many jabs of who his favourite daughter was.)

It was the high school experience she could only desire for. The drama, the constant back and forth, guys like Lucas and Nathan pining after her as they did with Brooke Davis. It seemed like a fairytale, daydream, and in a way her prepubescent fantasy had come true. The girl had been caught in drama more times than she could count on her fingertips, so that was something, and she was in a back and forth between Finn and Puck during Sophomore year. Though, they were far from being a Lucas and Nathan type.

" Brittany's running for Homecoming King," Quinn announced, her gaze trailing over to the small huddle of cheerio girls that were standing next to Atticus. " She's been putting her flyers all around school, and taping them on the back of people's heads  as well for some reason. I think she has a good chance of winning."

Aerin's grip on her helmet loosened, whilst she followed the girl's hazel-green orbs towards where they were targeted at. " Who's her homecoming date ? I don't know about this place, but traditionally, the king is usually always accompanied by her noble, and gorgeous queen."

" Santana, apparently," Quinn replied, her hazel flexes bouncing back to Aerin's chocolate brown eyes. Her grip on the hot metal clasp of her helmet faltered, brows knitting together as she tried to shake off the weird sting that sniped at her like a jab.

" Oh," was the first word, or siliable that left her lips, tone distant and unreadable. She didn't know why, but Brittany and Santana going to Homecoming together came as a mild surprise. They hadn't shown any interest in liking one another again, especially enough to ask each other to be homecoming dates. The blonde specifically remembered Britt gushing over how Artie had asked her via text on her Twitter wall. And Santana, even if they didn't talk as often as they used to, had told her that she was flying solo.

Aerin sat upright, and took a silent breath. " I thought they're relationship was in a Rachel-Ross from Friends limbo, that's what Kurt told me a couple months ago," she murmured, fiddling with the strap of her helmet.

" Why do you care ?" Quinn questioned, and in that moment the Cline girl felt her lips firm tightly into a straight line and bit on the inside of her cheek.

A small dry lump formed in the back of Aerin's throat as she twiddled with her thumbs.

Quinn was right, Why did she care? Upon everything, Santana and Aerin hadn't been exclusive for months now. The bitterness and tenuous strain that seemed to form whenever they were even within 2 feet of each other had long faded, and in Aerin's opinion, the friendship part of their bond had been on the mend for some time too.

Sure, she missed being wrapped up in the Lopez girl's warm arms now and again, or the weird arguments they'd get into whenever they were trying to decide what to order at Breadstix with friends.

But, all those memories, close and nearer distant, were simple fragments of a relationship that had long faded. a relationship that she had extinguished. and replaced for someone who was both a complete stranger and her personal diary.

" I don't," she forced out with a sliver, thumb-twiddling halting in motion. Quinn's brow, which had slightly raised upon trying to read the girl's emotions, lowered. It didn't take a genius to know that Aerin Cline didn't have an ounce of feelings for her new senior amante. The way they passed each other in the halls, not a whisper between them, or how the slim and angelic structured girl always seemed to forget she was in a fully-fledged relationship whenever she declared how she wanted to try a slice of 'Finn Hudson Pie.'

Which was definitely a sexual, yet rather creepy euphemism.

Silence rang out between the two girls after that, one left with a head filled with new thoughts, weird thoughts, and another still trying her almighty best to not make eye contact with her good friend's twin brother.

However, it was momentarily short lived by trudging footsteps up the tacky steel steps of the school's creaky risers. " Excuse me, Aerin, can I have a word with you!" The shrill of the voice alone made the Cline girl roll her eyes. There was no need for her to turn because she already knew who was currently folding their arms tightly right behind her.

" How may I help you, Berry," She sighed, preparing herself to place her helmet on her head again to block out whatever was about to fly out of Rachel's mouth.

Slacking her arms and bringing them down to her side, Rachel squeezed her way past the Cline girl and plopped herself down in the middle of Quinn and Aerin, " Your girlfriend, Catarina, she's completely disrespecting Finn's boundaries, and it's frankly driving me insane."

" Since when did you turn into Finn's bodyguard," Quinn commented, making Rachel narrow her baby brown orbs in the girl's direction. Now,  that was a truly strange concept. Rachel Berry, short statured and filled with narcissism, being in charge of handling your life.

Aerin liked to think that she'd be good at the job, she'd seen her feisty, hot headed side before. And it definitely wasn't pretty. Though, another part of her also felt like the brunette would be too caught up in her own mythical bubble dream world to even notice if her assailant was in danger. Glee Club practice took up almost 60% if not more of her life, along with the other extra clubs she took in between.

Rachel Berry. Broadway Pioneer by day, Heroic Bodyguard by night. Coming to a Cinema near you

" I'm not his bodyguard, Quinn," she reassured, placing her bag on the floor, " How would you like it if someone was constantly  pining after your significant other like a starved dog. She's there whenever I turn around or leave even for
one second."

An amused chuckle escaped from the Fabray girl's lips. "Yeah that seems pretty familiar actually," she replied under her breath, fixing the trim of her Cheerios skirt once more.

" You're just being paranoid, Rachel," there was an unintentional bitterness to Aerin's words, "She doesn't want your man, at all, Catalina is just really friendly. I seriously don't get you guys, I mean you all act as if she's the main antagonist in a Disney Channel original movie. And, frankly, it's driving me even more insane. It feels like I'm not in on some weird inside secret about my own girlfriend, the one person I'm supposed to trust."

She wasn't talking to Rachel anymore, or Quinn either. That rant had been her inner self trying to reason, put the jumbled puzzle pieces together and get a clearer picture.

" I'm being paranoid?" Rachel challenged, tone cold, "Okay then, well If  I'm so paranoid, then why is she  currently trying to coax Finn into giving her attention as we speak."

Her delicate pointer finger moved towards the lower half of the playing field where Finn stood.

He had his hands awkwardly stuffed into his jean pockets, and the boy was fully rotated towards Mike and the couple of the other boys whilst Catalina leaned up against him as if he were a human lamppost. And nothing more, just harmless leaning and the occasional over-exaggerated laugh.

Her lips twitched downwards, more confusion swept over her. Was she overanalyzing an unmeaningful situation? Or Was there some truth in the Berry girl's claims?

"This is stupid," Aerin rose from her place on the risers and put on her helmet once she saw Coach Bieste reappear on the field again.

"Is it ?" Quinn piped up, obviously stating her side in the argument, " I never agree with half the things Rachel says, mostly due to the fact that most of it is - really irritating and annoying. But, I've gotta take her side on this one. She seems like she's-"

"Horrible? Snide? Off-putting? Like she doesn't like me back ?" The straw that finally broke her back, metaphorically speaking. It was all she had heard, the only tune that had been constantly winding in her ear over and over. They didn't have to beat around the bush to reveal their distaste, anguish. Her brother, now Quinn, and probably even Santana from the blonde's suspicions.

" There's no need to be rude to Quinn, she's just trying to help you get out of her obviously one sided relationship," Rachel responded.

"God, why don't you just make out with her already, Berry," she snapped back, though through her helmet her response was slightly muffled.

Both girls' eyes widened, and Quinn slightly scooted from Rachel as their shoulders touched awkwardly. Quinn then opened her mouth to reply, but immediately closed it again once the blaring shriek of both Coach Bieste and Sue's whistles.

" Look, I-I know we're not the closest of friends, Aerin, and if anything I should still be angry with you for trying to blind me with that citric laced slushie," Rachel said, rising from her seat and moving towards the sandy blonde, " But may I ask you a personal question ?"

Aerin shrugged her shoulders but didn't bother to reply back with a simple yes or no.

" Have you ever felt the warmth of true love before ?"  Her voice, low and poignant, managed to travel through the cracks of Aerin's plastic-coated metallic bars and sting right where it hurt.

Though that sting, per se, wasn't the type one got when a harsh insult was thrown at their direction without warning. It was a pinging sensation that made her think, truly and deeply. Rachel hadn't even started and she already felt like everything was weirdly spinning. She took off her helmet and turned to the brunette on her left. " I'm 17, I can't feel true love, let alone it's warmth," Aerin bit her lower lip in agony after letting out a chuckle. She was lying through her teeth.

Rachel and Quinn both exchange subtle glances with each other once again before the pearl blonde departed down the steps to practice.

Which made Aerin believe that it had either become a habit for the two of them or some allusive code for something. Then, when Rachel's mahogany brown eyes flickered back to Aerin's topaz ones's she shook her head in disagreement.

" That's not entirely accurate," she began, moving closer, " Anybody can fall for someone at any stage of their life. Take me for example. I fell for Barbra and her good graces, talent and sheer capability to please a crowd full of people at just the young age of 1. Sure, it wasn't true love in a romantic manner, but I still felt a deep-rooted connection to her. By 5, I fell for Broadway in itself and 10 with the idea of being a star. Then, after a few years passed I finally came eye to eye with the one person who will probably change my life forever."

Her gaze trailed towards Finn, and coincidentally, he was already looking up at her, like she was his whole world. They both smiled at each other, pupils practically turning into love hearts, and prolonged it until Puckerman 'accidentally' threw the football at his head.

Aerin tried to do the same thing with Catalina, but nothing happened, it didn't work. She looked up at the risers, but for only a brief moment whilst she tumbled from her high position in the Human Pyramid.

And then again after she had finished cursing Santana out for purposefully causing her to fall off of the said human pyramid with the intent to do damage. And in both those instances, her gaze was translucent and bland. Like someone had forced her to look up, to wave and show her affection.

" But how can you tell that Finn's the one when you haven't even explored your other options yet, been outside in the real world," Aerin remarked as she clutched her helmet to her chest.

" Because he makes me feel normal," she replied, folding her arms.  Once Rachel sensed Aerin's clear confusion by her answer, she let out a huff and prepared to reiterate it. " Finding someone who makes you feel happy is not as important as someone who actively creates that same happiness around you, whose happiness stimulates yours."

'Cline, has anybody seen Aerin ?' Coach Bieste's loud yelling cut through like a sharp knife in the dead of night (or bright afternoon). However, it was only going through one ear and trickling out the other for the blonde. Rachel Berry was giving her relationship advice, real and raw relationship advice. And it was working.

" Love is true when it gives you the freedom to be you," she continued, "To be the most perfect reflection of yourself, your real self. Be there through the good, bad, and the downright ugly."

◜ -ˋˏ 𝗿𝗼𝗻𝗻𝗶𝗲'𝘀 𝗻𝗼𝘁𝗲𝘀 !

new short chapter ! how y'all feeling about it ?

i truly wanted to make this longer, and honestly, i might even still add onto this later, but i personally thought that it concluding w/ Rachel giving Aerin love advice would be a better place to stop.

I've been so into shameless (us) this past week, at this point, it's not even healthy anymore. i started re-watching season 1 two weeks ago and i'm already on season 6.

also, i just wanted to thank you guys for loving this story, or reading it lmao. i love aerin and san, kinda sad that it's almost over :( i never thought anybody would read it, let alone 31,000 people. en e wayz i'm tired and it's almost 11 pm in bri'tish land so imma go take a nap.

AND REMEMBER. I LOVE YOU <3 AND YOU'RE BEAUTIFUL