Very quickly written. Not closely proofread. Mostly for fun. Wow that was a lot of adverbs at once.
Rachel is somewhat expecting to have some weird dreams tonight. It is the night before graduation, after all, so she knows her subconscious is filled with tumultuous thoughts of everything that's going to happen in the next twenty-four hours.
What she doesn't expect, though, is opening her eyes and seeing someone standing over her bed. A short someone with wavy brown hair and chocolate eyes, wearing a royal blue argyle sweater and a gray skirt.
Herself, two years younger.
Rachel sits up straight. "Who are you?" she demands, even though she already knows, because that's always the first question you're supposed to ask when somebody mysteriously appears in your bedroom. "What are you doing here?"
Other Rachel smoothes out her skirt puts her hands on her hips. "It has come to my attention that you've become a little…misguided."
She frowns indignantly. "I beg your pardon! Since you claim to be so well-informed of my life, you should be aware that I received a letter from NYADA several weeks ago and I've been selected as a finalist."
Other Rachel rolls her eyes. "Yes, yes, I know. But that isn't the problem here."
Now her eyebrows shift into a more confused expression. "What is the problem then?"
The younger girl sighs. "Come with me," she says, reaching out to offer her hand.
Rachel hesitates. "It's past curfew."
Other Rachel gestures impatiently. "For the love of Patti LuPone, you're a senior in high school. Now is as good a time as ever for a rebellious phase."
She gulps and waits another beat before pulling back her comforter and stepping carefully out of bed. Other Rachel gives her bubble gum-pink pajamas a once-over.
"Well, at least your choice of sleepwear hasn't changed."
Rachel ignores her. "Where are we going?"
"A walk down memory lane." She takes Rachel's hand and suddenly her bedroom vanishes in a whirlwind of color.
When her eyes refocus again, they're standing in the middle of the hallway at WMHS. Students are milling about but each one seems completely unaware of both her and her doppelganger's presence.
"What's going on?" she whispers, just in case they can be heard, because she doesn't want to frighten any of the students. Other Rachel doesn't answer her and instead begins walking down the hall and she rushes to follow her. "I'm not sure what your objective is here but I feel it would be appropriate for you to divulge more information in order for me to get the most out of this experience."
"Shush," Other Rachel replies, and they turn the corner just in time to hear a third Rachel say to a similarly younger Finn, "My dreams are bigger than that. They're bigger than you." Her tone is fierce, determined, and sure, her jaw set, and her eyes full of confidence.
She almost doesn't recognize herself.
"Pretty spooky, huh?" Other Rachel says, observing her reaction. "Seeing how you used to stand up to him."
Rachel bites her lip. "He was being a jerk."
Other Rachel gives her a look. "You say that like it was a one-time occurrence." When Rachel doesn't respond, she takes her hand and the world around her dissolves again. In a moment she finds herself in the boys' locker room.
"We shouldn't be in here," she says nervously and Other Rachel shakes her head.
"Do you recall that rebellious phase I mentioned earlier? And regardless, that never stopped you before. Listen."
She does, and she once again hears herself talking to Finn behind a row of lockers.
"Now I'm free to pursue my dreams without anything holding me back." Same self-assured tone as before.
Her heart sinks.
"And do you remember when he said you looked like a sad clown hooker and then disproved of your significantly more attractive wardrobe when you began acquiring the attention of numerous males?"
She throws Other Rachel a wary glance. "Yes."
"And when he agreed that nobody in the glee club likes you?"
She takes a deep breath. "I get your point," she says quietly. "You can take me back now."
"Certainly." Their hands join, the swirling colors return, and suddenly they're in the choir room. Another Rachel is sitting at the front, facing the group, singing to Finn.
"I can't win, I can't reign. I will never win this game, without you, without you."
At first she watches herself gazing at Finn, but then she trains her attention on the rest of the club.
"I won't run, I won't fly. I will never make it by, without you, without you."
Almost everybody looks uncomfortable as she serenades her boyfriend; Santana keeps rolling her eyes, Kurt's expression is completely blank, and Mercedes isn't even paying attention.
"I won't soar, I won't climb. If you're not here I'm paralyzed, without you, without you."
Rachel clenches her jaw. "I told you to take me back."
"Do you understand what's going on here?" Other Rachel asks her, ignoring the statement, and her expression shows a hint of disapproval.
Rachel struggles to find her voice. "I-I shouldn't sing to Finn so much?" she guesses, but she knows that's not the right answer.
Other Rachel sighs. "You can sing to Finn all you want. But that particular song…everyone was disappointed in you. You should have been disappointed in you. What happened to Broadway being your true love, to your dreams being bigger than him? And now you're singing about how you can't live without him."
Rachel doesn't say anything.
"Also, giving up your virginity because you felt sorry for him was completely unacceptable."
She remains silent.
"As well as accepting his proposal solely because you thought you weren't going to get into NYADA." She pauses. "You don't really love him, you know."
Rachel swallows the lump that's beginning to form in her throat. "If I argue with you you're just going to tell me I'm wrong."
That makes Other Rachel smile a little. "Talking to yourself is quite fascinating, isn't it?"
Rachel shrugs. "It's quite similar to talking to Quinn, actually."
She frowns. "Wait. Quinn? I've only been watching your interactions with Finn. What did I miss?"
Rachel's gaze drops to the floor. "She told me not to have sex with him. And to not say yes to his proposal."
Other Rachel closes her eyes briefly and pinches the bridge of her nose. "Well you did a magnificent job following her advice, didn't you?" She takes a deep breath and lets it out slowly. "Alright, we're taking a detour." She grabs her hand and in seconds they're in the girls' bathroom watching Quinn attempt to talk her out of getting engaged. She watches the exchange carefully, her eyes narrowing and brow furrowing with each passing second, and once the conversation ends, she immediately looks at Rachel. "Is there more?"
She nods, and then they're back in the choir room.
"You can't change your past. But you can let go and start your future."
Other Rachel is now openly gaping at the look on Quinn's face as she says the words, at the intensity and passion in her eyes. "Oh," she murmurs when Quinn finishes her speech. "Oh. Oh wow. I didn't see that coming."
Rachel glances at her. "Didn't see what coming?"
She ignores her. "What else happened with you two?"
Within seconds they're in the hallway again, looking at Quinn in her new Cheerios uniform, speaking with Rachel.
"She said she wanted to support me," Rachel whispers to her companion, who is peering intently at Quinn again. "She was happy for me."
Other Rachel doesn't respond right away. "Really?" She nibbles her lip as the two girls hug. "Because that is the saddest smile I've ever seen."
Rachel's eyebrows pull together. "I don't understand."
She looks at her like she's just said something extremely unintelligent. "Dear Barbra, you are oblivious. Is your Finn tunnel vision really that bad?"
"What are you talking about?"
Other Rachel just shakes her head. "I think I'm going to let you figure that out on your own." She thinks for a moment. "Listen. You need to step out of this bubble of relationship naivety that you've trapped yourself in. Take a fresh look at what's around you. Evaluate your options. All of them. Think about what's best for you and your dreams." Her eyes are boring into Rachel's. "Whatever you do, don't let anything hold you back."
Suddenly the chorus of "Don't Stop Believin'" begins blaring over the PA system.
Rachel's eyes snap open; she's back in her room and the beginnings of sunlight are visible through the curtains. She switches her alarm off, silencing the song, and rubs her eyes. Her mind is still quite groggy from sleep but there are a few vague memories floating around—conversations she's had with Finn and with Quinn…and for some reason she remembers her own voice giving her advice.
She shakes her head and grabs her phone from her nightstand. There are three texts from Finn, all asking if she's thought about California, and she sighs. Going back to her inbox, she finds a single message from Quinn.
I'm not sure whether I'm more nervous or excited for today. Would you mind giving me a good luck hug before my valedictorian speech? See you soon ;)
The tenth time she reads it, something clicks. A smile spreads across her lips and her heart speeds up and she can feel her face flush with excitement even as she sends Finn a "We need to talk" text. She doesn't care that it sounds dramatic and that he'll probably freak out and think she's breaking up with him.
It's so rare that he's absolutely right.