A/N: Hey. I hope you all had a great Christmas! So anyway, I kinda got this idea in a dream I had the other day, but I'm not too sure about it, so this is a trail run. If you guys like it/where its going then tell me and if you don't then I'll stop! Its A/U and Rachel is very OCC, there's dark themes with a hint of romance and friendship. :)

Summary: Rachel started McKinley with big dreams, to become a star. But when her parents were tragically killed at the start of her junior year, she dropped everything and disconnected from everyone. Now she's starting college and meets Finn Hudson who helps her on the road to recovery.

Change Me.

Finn Hudson sat on a deserted bench outside the campus, watching as the different clichés of people walked past. California State wasn't the college he planned on, but it was better than nothing. He smirked as they all gathered about the entrance, their squeals of glee heard from miles away, you could easily pick out the Freshman from the rest, the people still obsessed with popularity and order.

His backpack fell off the bench, crashing to the floor and he turned his head to see a tanned boy leaning over the back of the bench, his arms resting on the broken wood, staring at him, a grin spread across his face. "Sup!" The guy nodded his head before jumping over the back-rest, settling on the bench next to Finn, "I'm Puck, ambadassador of Lima, Ohio." He held out his hand and Finn took it, Puck's grip tightening and Finn winced, pulling back immediately and shaking his hand out, hoping the pain would quickly fade. "Yaknow, after people introduce themselves you kinda have to do it back!"

Finn raised his eyebrows, shaking his head as he picked up his backpack, placing it gently on the other side of him, "I'm Finn and I'm from Sacramento." He furrowed his brow before turning back to Puck, "Wait, you're from Ohio? What the heck are you doing here?" Puck stared at him, as if the answer was obvious, to which Finn just shook his head and stood up, walking towards an empty parking lot.

"Dude, hold up." Puck caught up with him quickly, his arms stretched out and his backpack falling from his shoulder, he continued to walk next to Finn, not wondering where they were head, "If you've ever been to Lima, you'd know why. Plus California is the place to be, especially around the summer, yaknow what I'm sayin'?" He waggled his eyebrows before stepping infront of Finn, stopping him in his tracks, "Look, you remind me of this kid I knew back home, he was my best friend and he's moved on to bigger and better things, so you're his replacement, got it? Cool." He grabbed the strap of Finn's bag and pulled him back towards the campus, pointing towards the hoards of girls, walking around in barely anything at all.

"Yeah, I know. Girls, big deal." He watched as Puck's mouth dropped open slightly, his hand pushing down firmly on Finn's chest.

"Are you gay?" He raised his eyebrow, his tone amused before Finn stepped back, shaking his head dramatically, "Good. 'Cuz I need a wingman and I'm not a big fan of all this feelings stuff. We cool?" He held out a hand again, his eyes signalling down for Finn to do something, shake or slap, something that showed Puck his approval.

"Yeah, I suppose." He brought his hand down hard against Puck's, the connecting noise shattering, they both stepped back as the noise echoed around, drawing the attention of several passing people. They both laughed quietly before Puck swung his arm around Finn's neck, catching him in a head-lock and dragging him along. "So, let's get started. I'll make sure we're in the same room, dorm whatever. We'll go out on Friday, there will be some sort of party and we can get some...Shit." He stopped moving, causing Finn to jar and then stumble, his head aching as Puck let go, leaning forward as his eyes squinted, adjusting to give him better sight. Finn stood by him, confused watching as Puck's face distorted, forming a ball of confusion. "What..." He stood up, straightening himself out before placing a hand on Finn's shoulder, using his free hand to point to a large oak tree in the middle of the campus. "You see that girl over there, sitting under the tree?"

Finn followed his line of sight and his came across a small girl, hunched under a tree, her legs awkwardly stuffed under her body. Her brunette hair scattered across her face, covering up her features, Finn leaned in, intrigued before Puck pulled him back, slapping him across the back, "I can't believe she's here. Why the hell is she here!"

"Maybe she likes it here.." Finn shrugged his shoulders and slumped to the floor, using his backpack as a cushion. Puck joined him shortly after, his eyes still fixed on the girl, "Who is she anyway?" Finn tried to hid to interest in his voice.

"Her names Rachel. She went my high school.." Finn looked at him, wondering what was so special, Puck registered his expression and continued, "From what I remember, she always wanted to be a star or something stupid like that." He pursed his lips, watching as she packed her books back into her bag, before standing up. Puck inhaled sharply as her absorbed her outfit. "And.. She never used to dress like that."

He pointed towards her, Finn's head following and he jerked back when he caught sight of her. She stood up, smoothing out a short black skirt, cutting off mid-thigh, Finn's eyes trailed up and down her golden legs, wondering how far they actually went on for. His eyes slowly moved up, darting across her bare stomach, her skin glistening in the sun, his mouth dropped open. Her long hair cascade down her back, reaching further than her shirt. "That's, err... Interesting." He swallowed hard as she waltzed off into the building.

"She's changed." Puck shrugged it off and turned back to another hoard of girls, checking them out thoroughly before clicking his tongue, deciding on which one he wanted first. He didn't notice Finn still staring after Rachel, his mouth gone dry, his eyes wide.

"What happened to her?" His voice was hoarse, his throat ached as he spoke. Turning his head to Puck, he looked at Finn confused, "Rachel.."

His mouth formed a small 'o', "She got messed up." Finn's brow furrowed and Puck stretched his legs out infront of him, leaning back on his arms for support, "She was always so... happy and stuff, a geek though. Then she came back, Junior year, and everything was different. No more leg warms, sweaters with animals, annoying stars. She was, that." He pointed in the direction she left, hoping it wasn't explanation in itself. "Everyone was so confused, we thought maybe all the bullying had finally got to her," Finn whipped his head round sharply, glaring at Puck, "Chill. Anyway, remember that massive pile up on the highway out of New Jersey," Finn nodded his head, small snippets of the news flooding back to him, "Well, we found out from her creepy stalker that her parents were involved, they both died." Silence filled the space between them as Puck's words sunk in.

"Poor Rachel." He whispered the words, before turning back to Puck, "And that was it?"

"Yeah, we all left her alone, she'd had enough. But, slowly she began to.. disconnect from everyone, first her friends, then everyone else. She even stopped trying, it's like she gave up." Puck's shoulders sank, as Finn's heart heaved, he knew what it was like to lose a parent.

"Poor Rachel."

A/N: So, what do you think? I'm not too sure its gonna turn out the way I want so this is just a test run, so please let me know watcha think.

PEACE