Football Season by asesina
disclaimer: I don't own Glee.
a/n: quick little Finn/Rachel oneshot. Rachel goes to watch Finn's football game in October, and she thinks about how much her life has changed since last season. A bit fluffy. Finchel.
I hope you like it!
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Rachel Berry rubbed her hands together and shivered unconsciously. Autumn had arrived suddenly that year, bringing with it windy mornings, blushing orange foliage, and, of course, football season.
That afternoon was no exception to the general rule of autumn in Lima, Ohio. It was as overcast and chilly as the first few days of October had been, but Rachel didn't mind.
She was sitting on the ice-cold steel bleachers by the football field, surrounded by a few dozen students and family members that dotted the decidedly empty outdoor stadium.
It was a little while before the game, she reminded herself, trying to stay optimistic about the rather dismal record of the WMHS football team.
They had a few months left, right?
She muttered a silent entreaty that might have been a prayer if she were more religious.
Please let them win.
Seeing the football team lose again and again never used to bother her, but Rachel was particularly concerned with their win/loss record this season.
She blamed her fretting on one person who held a singularly important place in her life, a tall, lanky quarterback with a lop-sided grin who had stolen her heart.
Rachel turned her eyes back to the football field and spotted the number 5 in a sea of crimson red jerseys.
She wanted to call out to Finn and wish him good luck, but she could see that he was discussing possible football plays with his teammates.
Rachel's breath caught in her throat for a moment as she realized just how far she had come since last fall. When she was a sophomore, she was just beginning to find her place in a school that rarely took her seriously.
She had her passions and dreams, but she wasn't able to share them with others or hone her singing abilities.
Then, by the end of that maddening whirlwind of a school year, Rachel was in the glee club, surrounded by friends and classmates from every clique and high school caste imaginable.
And, above all, she had finally found someone to share it all with her, to love her for the person that she truly was, the spunky, dramatic, passionately strong girl who wanted to become a star.
Rachel Berry had always dreamed of being a star, and she was getting a little closer each day.
However, she learned that the journey to the top wasn't about getting all of the accolades or having first dibs on the Eponine solos in the school play.
Rachel had learned to share that glory with a group of people that shared her passions and interests. They were her friends, and being accepted there was more important than being revered by the masses.
Dating Finn was more than just an added bonus of joining New Directions. Rachel originally loved Finn from afar, and she would never even dream of being his girlfriend a year ago.
Now that she actually was dating Finn, Rachel had to pinch herself once in a while and quietly remind inner skeptic that her sophomore dream had come true.
However, Rachel didn't see Finn as a status symbol or a ticket to popularity.
Instead, she was truly thankful that he was as humble and genuine as he was. Most of the other football players and Cheerios wouldn't even give her the time of day, but Finn had always been down- to-earth and kind.
And, as she peered down at Finn from far up in the bleachers, Rachel couldn't help from smiling despite herself.
She felt the wide, love-struck grin forming on her face and realized how stupid she must've looked.
Oh well, she thought with a shrug.
She was young and in love and frankly didn't give a damn what anyone else in the bleachers thought.
As more people began to file into the bleachers and the sun sank beneath the tree line, Rachel struggled to see Finn on the football field.
She stood up on her tiptoes and strained to see over the shoulder of the man in front of her.
When she finally spotted Finn, she lifted her hand in a tiny, quick wave.
Down on the field, Finn turned his head and glanced up into the bleachers as if moved by some inexplicable force.
He saw a tiny gloved hand waving erratically behind a giant wall of a man, and he grinned.
Finn lifted a hand in response, waving back as he flashed a lop-sided smile and a quick wink.
Rachel's heart jumped when she saw that Finn was waving back, and she could have sworn that he winked at her before he pulled on his helmet and jogged out onto the Astroturf.
End.