A/N: This is for the amazing IdinaMenzelGirl who gave me this prompt: Shelby showed up to Rachel's graduation. Rachel could be valedictorian and not know Shelby is there until the middle of her speech. So I hope this is at least close to what she wanted :) I don't own glee so sit back relax and I hope you enjoy!
We'll find a way of forgiving…
"And now your class valedictorian Rachel Berry!"
I hear Principle Figgins announce as I make my way up the stage. I walk up to the podium and take a moment to calm my nerves; because contrary to popular belief; as much as I love being up on stage preforming I detest making speeches.
"Thank you and good morning Principal Figgins, faculty, parents and my fellow graduates." I start off continuing on with the more academic and serious section of my speech, talking about basically everything the parents and teachers want to hear about in the speech. I then move on to the more comedic part of the speech, Noah and Santana (well she forced me to accept her help) offered their help for this part. I talked about our senior prank; the time glee club and football team joined forces and freaked out the other school by pretending to be brain-eating zombies, everyone's fear of coach Sylvester. I continued on with thanking everyone who had gotten us where we were today.
"I would like to take this time to thank everyone who has helped us become the people you see standing before you. To our teachers whom despite the mountain of homework they assigned us over the years we now see they were just preparing us for college. To our coaches (I look to Mr. Schue, coach Beistie and Coach Sylvester) who pushed some of us to go above and beyond and to never stop chasing our dreams." I look out to whole auditorium as I say the next line. "Thank you to the whole faculty of McKinley High who went above and beyond their job description and became like second parents to some of us." As my eyes scan the crowd I have to a double take because that couldn't be her! No she quit and went back to New York didn't she? She's probably not even here for me she's probably here for Puck or something. I hear someone cough my name effectively pulling me out of my frozen like state. Dammit! Once again Shelby has seemed to cause some sort of mess in my life. I clear my throat and continue my speech and as much as I don't want to look at her my eyes keep travelling back to her. "And finally thank you to our parents who have been there for us since the very beginning." I finish up my speech reminding everyone to follow their dreams no matter how crazy or tough it may be to accomplish it.
"And to end my speech I would like to say congratulation's McKinley high class of 2012!" as I say this everyone is throwing their caps in the air and starting to run around hugging their friends and family. The gleeks then run up on stage and we start singing our last song as a glee club for the school. When the song ends hugs and tears are being exchanged along with promises to keep in touch. Eventually our parents separate us reminding us that we still have all summer to hang out and that we'll see each other in a couple hours at the barbeque my dads were hosting.
The barbeque was amazing, everyone had a great time and it effectively made me forget about seeing Shelby at the ceremony. I probably would've totally forgotten about her if it weren't for Rory. As I was saying goodbye to everyone Rory hands me a gift bag.
"Oh Rory you didn't have to get me anything."
"Actually this isn't from me. It's from Mrs. Corcoran she asked if I could give this to you. Great party Rachel good luck in New york Rachel." He tells me as he walks down the driveway.
"Umm yea thanks Rory!"
Once I finish helping my dads clean up I run up to my room to open Shelby's present. I sit down on the bed with the present in my lap. The bag is your normal cliché graduation gift bag with a graduation cap on front with the word 'congratulations!' printed over it. As I start to pull out the tissue paper I notice that it's white with gold glittery stars, the first thing that I pull out of the bag (that wasn't tissue paper) is a card, actually it's a stack of cards. I set them aside and keep digging through the bag hoping that there might be something else. Just as I'm about to accept that there's nothing else in the bag I decide to just flip over the bag and right away out falls a small dark blue velvety box. My curiosity is instantly heightened and I grab the box and give it a little shake before opening it. Inside the box is a small delicate silver heart shaped locket connected to a thin silver chain.
I gently pull out the necklace to closer inspect the locket. Upon closer inspection I can tell the locket is vintage, it has a beautifully intricate design of flowers around the boarder of the locket. I turn the locket over in my hand and push on it a little causing it to open. On one side of the locket is a small picture of what I am assuming is a toddler age Shelby giving her mother a kiss and on the other half of the locket is a picture of a new born baby. Huh? Is that baby me? I close the locket and slip on the necklace deciding to tale a look at the stack of cards I had put aside earlier.
I untie the string that's holding the cards together and open up the one resting on the very top. The inside of the card reads 'congratulations!' underneath that is Shelby's own personal message it says:
'To my beautiful darling Rachel, well first congratulations you've finished High School and are now on your way to conquer the big apple; which I'm sure you'll have no problem doing. I'm so proud of you and look forward to the day you make your Broadway debut. Second I'd like to apologize for all the pain I put you through popping in and out of your life, I would really like to apologize to you in person perhaps this Sunday we can have dinner at Breadstix around 7:30? If not I completely understand but if you ever just want to talk I've left you my cell phone number and email at the bottom of this card. Now if you've opened up the locket I'm sure you're wondering who's the pictures are of. Well one of them is of me and my mother when I was about five and the other is actually of you the day you were born. (One of the nurses was kind enough to take that photo for me.) Lastly I just want to say I am so proud of you. And I also want you to know how much I love you how much I've always loved and will continue to love you.
Love, Shelby.'
She wanted to meet up? Why now? I decided to look through the rest of the cards before making up my mind if I would go to Breadstix tomorrow. As I sorted through the cards I realized that a majority of them were birthday cards starting from the time I turned 3 to just this past year. The others were holiday cards some said happy Hanukah, or Merry Christmas or Happy Valentines day, some were just random asking how I was doing, how was school etc. All I could think was why did she never send these? And she really thought of me this much. Now I had to see her I just feel like I have so many more questions that need answers!
The next day Kurt came over to watch some movies with me and then help me choose an outfit for the dinner I was having with Shelby. I got to Breadstix at 7:55 I would've gotten there earlier but part of me was hesitant about going. I walked in and spotted Shelby sitting in a booth towards the back she had yet to notice me. As I made my way towards her she finally saw me and a smile graced her face as she stood up to greet me.
"Rachel! You came!"
"Yes um thank you for the present. The locket is really beautiful I'm actually wearing it right now."
"It looks amazing on you. It's actually a family heirloom my grandmother gave it to my mother who then passed it on to me before she died and now I'm finally able to give it to you."
"Me? Shouldn't it go to Beth?"
"No, ever since I knew I was pregnant with a little girl it had been my plan to give you the locket."
"Oh well thank you. Umm"
"Do you want to order something first?" I nod my head thankful that she's not pushing me to talk. After the waitress comes back with our drinks I decide to try and strike up a conversation but I'm not sure where to start.
"You can ask me anything you want. I'll answer no matter how random or strange the question may be."
"Sophomore year I asked you if you ever regretted giving me up and you said yes but then no and then yes again I'm just I'm confused…"
"Well after I had you I did regret not fighting harder to be a part of your life. I went through a very similar phase that Quinn went through in the beginning of this year. But eventually I came to realize that I gave you the best possible life I could give you I wouldn't have been able to provide for you all the countless opportunities your dads did. But then I saw you preforming at sectionals and all that regret that I had felt after first giving you up came back at full force and I had to meet you."
"But then you left …"
"And that is one of the biggest mistakes I ever made and if I could take it back I would. Rachel you have no idea how sorry I am. I'll do anything to prove it to you. I'm not asking for your forgiveness because I know that's the last thing that I deserve but I do hope that one day you'll at least be able to come and talk to me and we can form some type of relationship even if it's just as friends at the very least." I look up at her and can see the sincerity in her eyes as she tells me this.
"I forgive you. As for our relationship it's going to take a while you don't know how much you've hurt me. But we can start with working towards a friendship maybe by meeting up for lunch or a movie every so often, and maybe eventually it'll become a mother daughter relationship?" She just looks at me smiling with tears in her eyes.
"Alright who ordered the vegan lasagna?" the waitress asks.
After that our conversations become lighter and we talk about school, movies, plans for the summer and we make plans for a lunch and a movie next week as she walks me to my car she thanks me for the second chance and asks if she could have a hug. I immediately give her one and just enjoy the moment, who ever said that moms give the best hugs well they weren't lying.
A/N#2: so thoughts? the dinner felt kind of rushed to me ever have those moments where no matter how many times you try and write something down it just doesn't sound anywhere near as good as it did in your head? yeah that was me here. this is strictly a one shot only because i'm already working on 3 other stories. and i still have another one shot request i have to work on. but please review and also check IdinaMenzelGirl's amazing Shelby/Rachel stories of you haven't already! :)