Rachel Berry never thought that she would be inspired to fall out of love with Finn Hudson. She certainly did not think that Quinn Fabray would inspire her to do so. Not that she was gay; she certainly felt for Finn at one time. Just not anymore.
So that was why she remade Rachel Berry, and learned to love herself again. She didn't need Finn, or Noah, or Jesse, or even Mr. Schue to tell her she was good anymore. It made her relaxed, and she started to give away some of her solos. And it felt really, really good to see the look on Tina's face when she got to sing 'Back to December,' or Mercedes' expression when Rachel wrote a song just for her. Her style evolved from kiddy play clothes to a Ralph Lauren-inspired look, and some of Kurt and Blaine's Dalton friends even asked her out. It felt really, really good to be wanted. And not because her crush screwed up with two slutty cheerleaders, or because the amazing, talented guy from her competition wanted to suck up to her almost-mom mother.
Graduation eventually rolled along, and she said goodbye to the best and worst memories she had. She thanked all her loyal, amazing, inspiring glee friends- "You certainly all deserve to have the best future imaginable for creating such a welcoming paradise of senior year for me"-and took Quinn aside. No one expected her to do so-they still winced at glanced at her when Quinn and Finn walked into the room hand in hand-, and she knew they were eavesdropping, but she needed to say something.
"I need to thank you, Quinn. You made me what I am today; you were the first one to be bitingly honest to me. It hurt, but it made me realize that I didn't like the way I acted... So obnoxious, and overpowering. I really hope you have a fulfilling, happy life with Finn. Invite me to your wedding. I want to know that the person who made me happy can be happy too. Goodbye, for now." It ended with her giving a shellshocked, silent Quinn a hug, and strutting out of her high school for the last time. She had only one summer left before Oxford, now. Yes, yes, she was going to New York for theatre, but the English culture was spectacular, and even dramatic plays were good practice. Plus, what harm could it do to really clear her mind, and get a fabulous education? And, british accents-kind of hot.
On September 1st, the first day of the Oxford semester, it was clear to Rachel that the upperclassmen who helped out with the dorms had one goal, and one goal only-to torment freshmen. It was her tenth time asking someone for directions, and nothing was helping.
"I highly doubt that you don't know where that dormitory is, as you are supposed to have been here for three years. Are you incompetent? I have simply asked for you to direct me to the dorm specified on this sheet, and all you've done is-excuse me, my eyes are up here, you animal- all you've done is blabber about the best steakhouses. And I'm a vegan." A wisp of her ebony hair fluttered out of her bun and she blew it away in frustration. "I will find my dorm myself, if you're just going to waste my time." With a decisive humph, she clutched her rolling suitcase, and flew through the door. Or more at the door. Mortified, she checked again that she had walked into a huge, wooden, looming door. But at second glance, it was a boy. A smiling, cute, British boy.
"Are you a freshmen too?," he asked, eyes darting about hopefully. She stuffed her hands in the pockets of her jeans.
"Unfortunately. It seems that some of these seniors have thrown out their manners to make room for schoolwork." He laughed. Mystery boy laughed! Mystery boy must have a name, right? She must find out his name. "What's your name?" She cringed; it sounded like she was a lonely preschooler clinging to a seventh grader.
"James Giralda. Hopeful star of the stage, hopeful A-plus student, and hopeful date of yours." Rachel covered her mouth to hide a giggle, but her eyes danced with laughter. "I'm sorry, that was incredibly cheesy. And stupid. I just wanted to know, um... What's your name? I told you mine, it's customary for you to tell me yours. Please." Rachel's heart burst with fireworks.
"Rachel Berry. I'm actually here for musical theatre; I've been singing all my life. The whole, um, England-thing is temporary; after I get a good education, I'm going to Broadway. I'm sorry, this is off topic, but, what dorm are you in? It would be good to have someone to follow home when I get lost." James laughed again. Laughing two times-that was a good sign! Right? Right?
"I think we might be in the same dorm, actually. Shall we walk?" He offered his arm and she placed her hand on his elbow dramatically. Skipping down the pavement, James interrogated her. "Why go to England at all? Julliard not good enough for you?"
"No, it's not that. I-I spent my whole life being just an inch away from the top, and then I'd screw up and fall down again. I was afraid, to be honest. New York is a big city, with a lot of brilliant people. I wanted to know that I was the best, truthfully the best! Or, at least have a good enough college on my resume to get a better part-time job than waitressing. Vegan restaurants do not equal good tips. And being poor would have augmented my need to be better. Always better." Her mouth kept moving, words flowing. She told James things she didn't even know, and they were confusing to her, and outlandish. "Look, I'm sorry for this. Being a bit of a mess, and all. Really, if I'm too weird, you never have to see me again. I'm not placid, or tranquil. I'm not the type of person someone like you should be with. You'll notice that I am very overdramatic about insipid, irrelevant events, and-. Wow, again with the rambling. I'm just going to go, you know?" Hurriedly, she took her suitcase out of James clasped hand, and tightened her knee-length, tan trench coat. "I hope that we will get to be good comrades in our studies, and never gain bad blood for each other. Goodbye, James. And thank-you. I needed an outlet, and I got it."
"I'll be your outlet next weekend, too," James added hopefully. Rachel's self-control struggled. Heartbreak, Rachel, heartbreak. Guys like him don't go for girls like-
"Here's my number!"
Might be a little abrupt, but oh well. And yes, Finn comes into the picture soon… very soon. R&R! Thank-you!