This is Chp 1-4 from See You Soon so feel free to skip or read again if you like. I hope you guys enjoy the alternate ending. Please excuse any grammar/spelling mistakes. Enjoy!
Rachel Berry made her way through the halls of William McKinley High School only to be stopped in her tracks by two football players walking towards her with full cups of slushies. Before she could object, she felt the icy, cold liquid seeping its way down her face and setting into her outfit.
"Know your place loser!" one of them yelled back as they walked away high-fiving and laughing towards one another. Rachel looked around the crowded hallways.
Everyone was laughing and whispering about her. This was normal though. After two and a half years of going through this, she was used to it. The thing that got her was when she met the eyes of Kurt, Mercedes, Tina and Artie. They too were laughing at Rachel as Kurt stage whispered an atrocious comment about her outfit towards Mercedes. She knew that no one in Glee liked her but she didn't think that they would just stand there and laugh. They knew how she felt, they've went through it before. She walked over to her defaced locker with the word 'FREAK' written on it with black sharpie and grabbed a clean set of clothes before rushing into the girl's restroom. It was there that she decided to break down and release the tears that she was trying so hard to hold in. She changed into the dark denim skinny jeans and a flattering black top that her dads had persuaded her to buy. Even they knew she was a freak.
"Oh please Manhands, stop being so dramatic. You should be used to this now," Santana said walking into a crying Rachel in the bathroom.
"How could you be so mean to me Santana? What have I ever done to you?" Rachel said softly. Santana rolled her eyes.
"Just being around you is enough cause for this," Santana said with each word filled with more hate, "I can't even be in the same room as you. Don't you understand Berry? No one likes you. Not me, not Quinn, not the glee kids, and most certainly not Finn. So do us a favor and just leave." Santana rolled her eyes at Rachel and then left the room. Rachel stood there for a moment looking in the mirror and a new wave of tears took over.
"God!" she yelled as she smashed her fist through the mirror. She hadn't meant to break the mirror; she just didn't want to see her reflection any longer. She slid towards the cold tile and pulled her knees closer to her head. She didn't care if her hand was bleeding. She heard the bell ring and waited a moment seeing if the coast was clear. When she peaked through the door and saw anyone, she took a deep breath and made her way out of the room. Just as she turned the corner, she bumped into the last person that she wanted to see, Puck.
"Whoa Berry, if you wanted to cop a feel all you had to do was ask," Puck said putting on his infamous smirk. He looked at Rachel worriedly when he noticed that she just kept staring at the ground and not responding. He studied her presence for a moment and spotted her bleeding hand.
"Shit Berry! What happened!" He asked inspecting her hand up close.
"It's nothing." She pulled her hand away from him and winced in pain as she felt the brisk movement.
"That is not nothing; that is something. Come here!" He grabbed Rachel's free hand and dragged her to the bed of his truck where he kept a first aid kit. He was a badass who got in a lot of fights and he sure couldn't go to the nurse's office to treat his cuts and bruises now could he? He inspected her hand to see how deep the cuts were and if there were any remnants of glass stuck on her hand. Thankfully for her, there was none.
"What the hell did you do?" Rachel just rolled her eyes.
"Like you care. Leave me the fuck alone Puck and pretend like I don't exist like you always do," she spat out. Puck grimaced at her harsh words; it was the first time she ever called him Puck and not Noah and the first time he's ever heard her cuss. There was something definitely wrong. The day went by quickly as he stole many glances at Rachel when no one was looking. Rachel was one of the last to enter the choir room for rehearsal. Puck didn't mean to be early; it just wasn't badass but that encounter with Rachel earlier spooked him.
"Well, that's a step up from your usual hideous outfits," Kurt said as she walked into the room. Rachel didn't know whether to take it as an insult or a compliment. She didn't have to wonder that long. She soon realized it was an insult when he continued on. "Just because you want to look the part now doesn't mean that you will ever fit in. You put a target on your back, not our fault." The pool of tears started to fill her eyes. She was already having a hard day; she just wanted to sit down and enjoy glee.
"Wow RuPaul, can you be any more obvious?" Quinn snorted, "Wipe those alligator tears. Finn's not here to save you and even if he were, his allegiance is to me." Puck rolled his eyes. His baby mama was really bitchy when she wanted to be. Rachel's eyes became watery again but she was trying to hold in it this time. Just then, Mr. Schue came in followed by the rest of the team.
"Alright guys, I think I've got a new number for sectionals." Everyone looked up at him curiously as he held a stack of sheet music in his hand. "Rachel, can you handle it?" Before Rachel could say anything, Kurt and Mercedes immediately interrupted.
"Mr. Schue, it's not fair for you to give every single solo to Rachel. There are 11 other people in this group, not just Rachel freaking Berry," Mercedes said harshly.
"Mercedes, I haven't given Rachel any solos for a while. Apart from Don't Stop Believing, Rachel has no other leads in any of the songs. I think this song is good for her."
"And what about the rest of us, Mr. Schue? I for one love this song. Wicked was one of my favorite Broadway musicals. I would do more justice in this song than she ever can." Damn, since when did everyone start treating Berry like shit? Sure she was annoying and all that jazz, but this was a whole other level Puck thought. Mr. Schue just sighed and nodded his head.
"You're right. Kurt, let's give you a shot at this." Mr. Schue said.
"But Mr. Schue-"
"Rachel! Just stop," Mr. Schue said a little too loudly. He pinched the bridge of his nose and took a deep breath. He let it out slowly to settle the annoyance he was feeling. "Sorry Rachel, I shouldn't have yelled like that." She gave him a small apologetic smile and Puck was literally floored. Since when was she the type of person to just move on without a fight? Her usual self would've spoken out about this. He watched as Mercedes and Kurt gave each other a high five. Everyone just smirked at the duo. Puck kept getting distracted every few minutes because of Rachel. He noticed that she wasn't singing along; she was just mouthing the words. She didn't have that usual sparkle in her eyes. Not that he noticed that kind of thing. Once rehearsal ended, Rachel got up and bolted out the door as if the building was on fire.
"Pathetic," he heard Santana say to Quinn and Brittany. They laughed menacingly.
Puck was at his locker talking to a random new Cheerio when he saw her enter the school. Rachel came to school looking like a completely different Rachel Berry. She had on another pair of jeans, and a black hooded sweatshirt. She tied her hair up in a messy bun and didn't even bother to put makeup on. Behind the glasses he never knew she had, he could see that her eyes were still red and puffy.
"Hey, hey are you still listening?" the Cheerio said. He shook the image of Rachel from his mind and looked back at the girl
"Yeah sorry I was distracted. Can we do this later?" She huffed and stomped away. There was most definitely not going to be a later after the way she stomped off. He made his way over to Rachel's locker when he saw five hockey players surrounding her. Then he realized that they were going to slushie her from all sides; that was cruel even for him. Before he could interfere, they splashed her with different flavor slushies. She looked like a rainbow from all the assortment of colors. As if on impulse, Puck walked over and slammed Karofsky against the locker.
"Lay off of her man!" Puck yelled in his face. Karofsky just laughed.
"Since when did you care about the freak?" Puck slammed Karofsky against the locker harder.
"She's my friend. I want you to tell everyone that. Tell the jocks, the cheerios, everyone you can possibly see and let them know that if they mess with Rachel Berry again they will have to deal with me."
"Please Puckerman, you don't have the juice anymore," Karofsky sneered. With one last laugh, him and the rest of the hockey players turned around and walked away. After they turned the corner, Puck turned around to find Rachel gone.
"What the hell," he muttered to himself. He was angry at the fact that he just stood up for her and she just left. He looked down and saw the trail of slushie leading him to where she was at. He followed it until he reached the outside of the school. She was sitting there on a picnic table not even bothering to wash the slushies off of her. He walked over to her and took a seat beside her.
"Hey Berry," Puck said awkwardly.
"I saw what you did back there and as chivalrous as that was, I don't want it. You can't start feeling sorry for me now. You were one of them a few weeks ago, you were the one who started this," she said enunciating the word you for emphasis. Puck hung his head down in shame. She was right.
"Look, I know I did all those things to you years ago but I'm sorry. I know you probably don't want to forgive me but I just want you to know that if you need someone to talk to-" Before he could finish his sentence, Rachel scoffed.
"You will be there for me? Is that what you were going to say? Why? So you can run off and tell Quinn and Santana to give them more stuff to make fun of me about? So you can get me vulnerable and have sex with me because we all know that's what you're good for Puckerman." With that said, she walked away angrier than she had been for the slushie attack. Puck watched as she left not trying to look so upset at everything she just told him. When the hell did Rachel grow a backbone? Fine, if she was going to act like that then the hell if he cared. He walked back into the school and strolled into his class late as usual.
Rachel walked to her car and drove home instead of going back to the school. She didn't care about her perfect attendance or her perfect grades anymore. None of that made her feel important. She ran up to her room to peel the sticky clothes off of her and hopped into the shower. She didn't plan to go back to school until Glee practice so she just changed into her most comfortable clothes. This was one of the times where Rachel really wished she had a mother. Sure, she had two great dads, they were hardly home. If they weren't at their offices all day, then they would be off on business trips. She couldn't blame them her father was a high profile lawyer and her dad was probably one of the best brain surgeons in Ohio. Regardless of how much she loved them, it was not the same as the maternal nourishment a mother could've given her.
Rachel walked over to the bathroom mirror that she was accustomed to seeing now. It started a month ago. She would come home every night and look at herself in the mirror. Then one day she had enough; she took a large black sharpie and outlined her reflection in the mirror. After that, Rachel drew arrows pointing to the direction of the outline. The arrows were followed by words like not good enough, not pretty enough, big nose, trout mouth, not smart enough, and not Quinn Fabray. Rachel drew a new arrow and wrote the words my mother didn't want me on the mirror.
She sank down in tears. Breaking down never came easy to Rachel until this past month. Sure she threw diva tantrums, but full on crying was something she never did. She pulled out her cutting shears and started to press down and drag it along parts of her stomach. She didn't wince anymore like she did the first time. Now, it felt natural. With each cut, she let out a harder sob. It wasn't because it hurt; it was because with each cut she felt herself coming back to reality. The blood was dripping down her stomach but Rachel no longer cared. She wasn't stupid, she knew that if she cut her arms, everyone would know and everyone would just say she was craving attention so she cut herself in places she knew other people would not see, her stomach and thighs. She wiped off the blood and traced her fingertips through the fresh indentations.
"Seriously Puck, what's your problem?" Quinn said once they got out of class.
"What do you want now?" he asked her. He was still mad about the whole Rachel thing and he didn't need to hear a new tirade about how he was just a Lima loser and how the baby was Finn's.
"Are you that low to go befriend Manhands just because I won't let you claim the fetus," she said in sheer disgust. Puck rolled his eyes. He wasn't her boyfriend and he wasn't the baby's father according to her so why should she care who he hung out. "Puck, answer me! I know what you're trying to do. You are trying to get in cozy with Manhands so Finn will get jealous and cause problems in our relationship." Again, Puck couldn't help but roll his eyes.
"Yeah, that's exactly what I had planned in mind," he said sarcastically. He was about to turn away from Quinn when he turned back around to face her. "You're pathetic and you have no reason to hate on Rachel, she's been there for you more times than Santana has. Trust, when your secret comes out, you're going to wish you had a friend like Rachel." He walked away without another word. The rest of the day was going just as bad so when it came time for Glee, Puck was actually excited.
Much to his chagrin, he saw Kurt and Mercedes maliciously tearing down Rachel for her new outfit selections: a pair of sweats and a WMHS tee-shirt. He didn't know what the sudden change in wardrobe came from but it wasn't the Rachel that he knew. He was never one to complain about her wardrobe. He liked that she wore short skirts all the time even if it was paired with something ridiculous like an animal sweater. Not that he thought it was cute or anything, he just liked looking at her legs. He took the seat farthest from the rest of the singers, and watched as Rachel just sat there. Her face looked void of any emotion. Fortunately, she wasn't crying anymore. Practice dragged on for what felt like hours as they had to listen to Kurt bitch and moan about not being able to hit the high F. When they started working on songs that weren't Defying Gravity, Rachel would just sit there mouthing the words. She didn't even sway to the music like she always did.
Once practice was over, Rachel shot up and bolted out of the door like she has done for the past two days. This time, Puck didn't worry about it. Whatever she was doing was her own deal. She made it clear enough that she didn't want him around. He got into his truck and drove home resisting the temptation to make the wrong turn and end up in front of Rachel's house. The girl was driving him crazy and he didn't even know why. Was it because they were friends? Because she was the only one that cared for him and saw him for what he was worth? Or was it because he liked all the quirky things that she did and he didn't want to see that side of her go away because of the insensitive nature of their classmates? Maybe it was all three.
"Shit," Puck groaned to himself. He stopped resisting and made the turn to Rachel's house.
Puck arrived at Rachel's house within a few short minutes. He parked across the street and one house over to not alert her fathers. His heart was racing as he ran towards her front door. Just as he was going to ring the doorbell, he heard loud voices arguing.
"Rachel, what's gotten into you? You're ditching classes now? You know you can't afford to do that; your grades are already lacking as it is," Rachel's dad said. Puck was shocked. From what he knew Rachel was an honor roll student.
"It was a B+ on a stupid math test; I still have an A in the class," Rachel protested. He remembered that day. It was one of the rare times he actually went to his math classes.
Rachel's eyes were filled with tears as Ms. Edwards finished passing back the tests. She flipped through the pages profusely to see if there was a mistake in grading but there wasn't.
"Hey, what's wrong Berry?" Puck asked leaning over towards her.
"I got a B+." He raised his brows at her.
"A B+ is a good thing." He looked at Rachel curiously as she shook her head.
"No, you don't understand. This is not a good thing," she said getting up and walking out of class not even caring that class was still in session.
"Calm down honey, we know that you're trying," Rachel's other dad, whom she referred to as daddy, added.
"Don't get her such an excuse to slack John. She comes from a line of Berry's and we excel in everything we do especially in academics."
"Dad, things aren't like it was when you went to high school."
"Like what falling for a boy that doesn't like you back? That's really important," her dad said sarcastically.
"I'm in Glee, I'm in the drama department, I do community service, I take all my voice and dance classes and I have a 4.2 GPA. I take every AP class offered. I'm doing everything I can to make it into Julliard. Why can't you just accept my efforts? It's like every little thing I do isn't good enough." Puck felt a new found respect for the girl that he was listening to. She was right; she did so much extracurricular activities it even got him confused.
"I know that you do a lot of extracurricular activities Rach, but you got to understand where your dad's coming from," John said softly. Puck heard a lot of shuffling and doors slamming. He figured that Rachel went into her room, so he started to walk back to his truck. Just as he hit the sidewalk he heard footsteps behind him. He tried to act nonchalantly just in case it was one of her fathers that walked outside but to his surprise it was Rachel.
"Are you stalking me now Puckerman? I'll have you know it's a crime."
"No, I wasn't stalking you. I just stopped by because I was worried. You know, you've been really quiet lately."
"Yes I did know. I thought you for one would be pleased that I shut my, what did you guys call it? My trout mouth?" she said every word dripping with hostility.
"What has gotten into you Rachel?"
"I've grown up Puck. I've learned that no matter how I try, it doesn't matter. I'm not that naïve little girl anymore pining for a guy who has hurt me and used me so many times. I'm not that annoying girl that's trying to be nice to everyone. I'm not the girl who's always trying to be perfect. I'm sick of it," she said. Her eyes were filling quickly with tears, and Puck felt his heart clenching.
"Let's get out of here," Puck said. Rachel looked at him surprised. He took it as a cue to go on. "Look, your dads are going to come out here eventually if they hear people having a conversation outside of their house, and I know you probably don't want to see them right now so let's get out of here." Rachel nodded and followed him to his truck. They didn't talk during the whole drive. She didn't even know why she got in the car with him. He was one of the people who made her life a living hell.
"Where are we going?" she asked trying to break the silence.
"Just wait and see." She nodded at his response and watched the scenery pass as he drove. Finally, they stopped at a park she's never seen near the top of the hill.
"What is this place?" Rachel asked.
"It's like a running, walking, hiking trail. Not a lot of people go here because it's all the way up here so I come here often when I want to get drunk." Rachel rolled her eyes. It didn't surprise her that he would do that.
"I'm not going to drink with you so that you can take advantage of me," she said. Now it was Puck's turn to roll his eyes.
"Even though you have all these bad thoughts about the kind of person I am, I can ensure you that I'm not here to try to take advantage of you, but you know if you want," he said leaning in wiggling his brows and smirking. Rachel laughed at the image in front of her.
"Is this how you get all the girls," she asked. He tilted his head back and laughed.
"Some of them. Others just need to see my bod." They shared a laugh with each other as surprising as it was.
"C'mon, let's take a walk," Puck offered. Rachel agreed and two of them started walking down the trail. There was silence as they walked neither knowing what to say. It was all new to them since they had never been friends.
"She's mine you know," Puck said trying to break the silence. He was expecting Rachel to give him the big long lecture about how it was wrong to lie to Finn like that but he heard nothing coming from her.
"Yeah, I figured. I see the way you run over to Quinn at the drop of a hat."
"Why haven't you gone and told everyone? We weren't exactly the nicest people to you so why didn't you do anything if you had the chance," he asked. Rachel shrugged as she continued walking.
"I know how it is on the other side. Everyone ostracizing you; it's not something I would wish on anyone. What about you though? I can tell that you want this baby yet you allow Quinn to claim that the baby is Finn's."
"It's what she wants," he said shrugging. "She doesn't think I'll be a good father and she doesn't want to lose her relationship with Finn."
"So you're willing to let her be happy and pregnant with someone else for her own happiness?" Rachel asked. Puck nodded sadly. "That sounds like a good father to me."
"What's wrong with you Rachel?" he asked her trying to change the subject.
"I, I don't know. I used to have this hunger for life you know. I never let things get to me but it's just hard trying to be strong all the time," she said as tears made their way down her face. Puck reached over and wiped the fallen tear from her face gently. She closed her eyes at his touch. "It never mattered to me what you guys did because I just assumed that you guys were jocks and it wouldn't matter because we would never be friends but Glee, that's what hurts." Puck nodded his head understanding what she meant.
"Finn's used me so many times. He's played with my feelings for him to manipulate me into doing so much stuff for him. I don't know why I get the short end of the stick when he's the one pursuing it too. Did you know I dropped the Cabaret for him to find that not only did he only want me so he can get a scholarship but that Quinn was pregnant with his alleged baby?" Puck nodded. He called Finn a jackass when he found out.
"Finn's a jerk. I don't understand why you, Quinn and Kurt like him so much." Rachel shrugged.
"Honestly I thought I was in love with him. He was so kind to me; he was the first person I thought could be my friend. Then, he broke my heart and went back to Quinn so many times. I stopped liking him months ago but no one sees it. Everyone just assumes I'm still trying to steal the boyfriend of a pregnant girl." Puck shook his head. She was right; everyone took their frustration out on her when it deserved to be served to Finn as well.
"I just really thought that I was making friends for once. It's hard to get through life without having anyone on your side."
"Rachel, you don't have to be alone. If you need anything ever, I'm here for you," Puck said. Rachel shook her head as the tears streamed down.
"It's nice to offer Puck, but you and I both know that it will never work. You're a jock, and I'm a loser that's how it's always going to be."
"Who gives a fuck about the labels and what everyone else is going to think. I don't care and neither should you. I'm your friend Rachel Berry. You don't have to go through this life alone," Puck declared. She opened her mouth to interject when Puck began speaking again, "and I'm not taking no for an answer." She closed her mouth and smiled at him.
"Thank you Puck. I'm sorry for all the mean things I've said to you the past couple of days. It was rude of me."
"You're welcome Rachel and its fine. I deserve it for everything I've done to you. Whatever it is that is hurting you, I will fix you," he said proudly.
Over the next few weeks Rachel and Puck were inseparable mostly due to the fact that he always wanted to protect her. She liked knowing that there was someone always around to be there for her even if he was being overprotective about it. Her parents went to another trip shortly after their confrontation so all she had was Puck.
Rachel walked into school wearing jeans, and a white v-neck. She didn't go back to her short skirts and knee high socks but he noticed that her eyes were at least normal. Puck started walking over to her when suddenly Finn was by her side. He could tell that whatever he was saying was hurting her because her face started to scrunch up like it always did before crying.
"Do we have a problem here?" Puck asked wrapping his arm around Rachel's shoulders. Finn looked at the two of them as if they were strangers and then walked away in a hurry. He could feel Rachel relax against his arm as she let out a breath she didn't know she was holding.
"What was that all about?" Puck asked.
"Just Finn being Finn. He asked me if I wanted to hang out with him since Quinn has been yelling at him all the time. I told him I wasn't a replacement for his girlfriend when he was pissed and he told me that it wasn't like that and that he had feelings for me. I told him to back off," she said rapidly.
"What a jerk," Puck said. She nodded in response as her eyes started to water. Puck saw this and pulled her in close to him. Matt and Mike stood from a distance.
"This isn't fair dude," Matt said.
"Yeah, I know what you mean. I hate Quinn and Santana's rule. No one, not even Rachel Berry, deserves to be treated the way that she is treated," Mike added.
"I say we forget it; Puck has." Mike nodded in agreement making his way over towards Rachel and Puck with Matt following him. Puck saw the two of them walking over and stiffened pulling Rachel in behind him.
"What do you guys want?" Puck said. He felt a little guilty for talking to his friends in such a harsh tone but he was sincere when he said that he would protect her from anything that would harm her.
"We just wanted to tell Rachel that we're sorry. It's not fair how we treated you," Mike said. Puck took a step to the side allowing them to speak to Rachel.
"We're really sorry for everything that we've done," Matt said. Rachel shook her head.
"It's okay, you guys didn't do anything," Rachel said. It was true; they didn't do anything to hurt her.
"Still doing nothing is worse than doing something and we're really sorry that we just stood by and watched idly as they did what they did to you. We are going to be there for you Rachel. What do you say, friends?" Rachel nodded her head in acceptance.
"Thanks guys," she said pulling them into a hug. Puck smiled at the sight in front of him. Two of his best friends were stepping up and doing what was right. He held a newfound respect for the two and was also glad to see that Rachel was happy and had two other people in her life.
"C'mon Berry, it's time to go to class," Puck said interrupting the sappy moment before he grew a vagina. Rachel nodded and started making her way to class. Mike and Matt followed as Puck walked with Rachel. Once Rachel got into her class, Puck turned around to face Mike and Matt with a stern expression on his face.
"You guys aren't doing this as a set up because I swear to god, I don't care if you guys are my friends I will hunt both of you down," Puck said.
"Chill dude, I promise you we're not doing anything like that," Mike said.
"Good, she has enough to deal with. I don't need her to deal with you two either." The three best friends that anybody could have (HAHA, hangover) nodded at each other and did their secret handshake they established since the 2nd grade.
"Let's go get something to eat," Matt said. Puck and Mike agreed as they boarded Matt's car and sped to the nearest diner. The three of them sat around the table and caught up with each other. Since Puck learned about Quinn's pregnancy, he stopped hanging out with his friends so being around Matt and Mike was refreshing. It went like that for the next few weeks. The three of them would walk Rachel to English and then they would leave school for their free period while she was in class. They would either go get a bite to eat or play games at Puck's house. They boys returned back to school just before Rachel's class let out. When she walked out, all three boys practically ran over to her.
"What's wrong?" Mike asked.
"It's nothing," Rachel said.
"Rach, come on. You can trust them, whatever you say to me you can say to them," Puck assured. Rachel nodded her head and proceeded.
"I went into English and overheard Santana, Kurt and Mercedes talking about how pathetic I must be for you three to want to be friends with me. They're still so upset at you three," Rachel said sadly.
"Rach, don't think that. We want to be your friends because of you not because we think you're pathetic. They're all just jerks," Matt said.
"I know, but I can't help it," Rachel said.
"Hey don't worry about it. C'mon let's go to lunch, we brought you food," Puck said. Rachel agreed and the three of them made their way to an empty table. Just then Santana, Brittany and Quinn walked over to the table as mad as ever.
"What do you think you guys are doing?" Santana barked at Matt and Mike.
"We're having lunch with our FRIEND Rachel," Mike said emphasizing the word friend.
"Wow Manhands, 3 football players. I wonder what you had to do to get them to be friends with you. I wouldn't be surprised after that thing you pulled at the celibacy club meeting," Quinn said. Rachel just looked down. She was sick of trying to stick up for herself. Luckily, she didn't have to.
"That's enough Quinn," Puck said getting up; Matt and Mike followed suit. "God, I knew you were mean but this is taking it too far. You three need to back off."
"We've been friends for weeks now; it's time for you guys to move on," Matt said.
"Seriously, whatever you have between you guys and Rachel, its over," Mike said supporting Puck. Santana, Brittany, and Quinn rolled their eyes and folded their arms over their chest.
"This is not the last time," Santana said. The three cheerios walked away leaving Puck, Rachel, Mike and Matt sitting there in shock.
"Wow," Matt said. The three boys nodded as Rachel just stared blankly at her food. The few past weeks felt like absolute bliss. She was actually excited to wake up every day, but it just felt like she was fighting too hard to keep the feeling.
"Guys, I have to go," Rachel said. They nodded. They knew that that meant she needed to be alone to cry. The rest of the day went by slowly; the boys didn't see Rachel at all. When glee started, they were anxious to see Rachel. Mike, Matt and Puck sat in the back looking at each other because glee was going to start and she hadn't walked in yet. Just then, Mr. Schue and Ms. Pillsbury walked in with Rachel following close behind. Her face with red and her eyes were puffy. It was obvious that she had been crying.
"Guys, take a seat," Mr. Schue instructed everyone. Once they all sat down, he spoke again. "Rachel has something to say."
"Oh what now," Mercedes muttered.
"I just wanted to tell you all that I apologize that this is short notice especially with Sectionals around the corner…"
"What are you going to tell us that you persuaded Mr. Schue into giving you every single solo and now we have to rework everything we've spent months practicing," Kurt added.
"No. I'm quitting Glee; I'm done with it," Rachel said bluntly. All the mouths in Glee dropped with the exception of Rachel, Ms. Pillsbury and Mr. Schue.
Instead of going to the bleachers like she usually did when things like this happened, she made her way to Mr. Schue's office. He was in there talking to Ms. Pillsbury as if no one knew that the two were in love with each other. Rachel knocked softly on the door getting the attention of the two adults. Ms. Pillsbury moved out of her seat and stood beside Mr. Schue as he motioned for Rachel to come in.
"Hey Mr. Schue, do you have a minute?" Rachel asked.
"Yeah Rachel, I've been meaning to talk to you. I just wanted to thank you for being such a team player lately."
"Mr. Schue, I've decided to quit Glee." Mr. Schue and Ms. Pillsbury looked at Rachel in shock. "Mr. Schue I know you're wondering why and I can assure you it has nothing to do with you or the solos. I just know that I'm not a part of Glee, I might be a part of it physically but mentally and emotionally I'm not. You are all about team unity and you know that with me on the team there will never be any unity. Look at the team now; I've split up Mike, Matt and Puck from everyone else."
"Rachel, think about this…" Mr. Schue began.
"I have Mr. Schue, and I really think it's the best. Kurt was right; I am replaceable. Give Mercedes or Santana or even Kurt my solos, they can handle it."
"If this is what you want Rachel, I can't stand in your way."
"Are you serious? We can't pull off sectionals if you leave now," Santana growled. She was not one to lose.
"This is so like you, throwing a diva fit just because you don't have all the solos!" Kurt yelled.
"For someone who always wants to talk all this crap about teamwork and putting your all in a song, you're quick to just quit on all of us," Mercedes said. They started circling her yelling obscenities at her for ditching them so late in the game. Finn just stood back to stunned to move. Mike, Matt and Puck all got up and pulled Rachel from the circling mob as Mr. Schue and Ms. Pillsbury tried to talk them down. Puck, Mike and Matt huddled around Rachel as she cried into Puck's chest.
"You're so egotistical Rachel! This is all because of that Defying Gravity solo isn't it? Can you be so selfish? Do you know how much that songs means to Kurt?" Mercedes yelled towards Rachel's direction.
"Do you know how much that songs means to me?" Rachel yelled back.
"Please Rachel! What is so wrong in your perfect little world," Quinn scoffed.
"Rachel, you don't have to explain," Puck said holding her hand. Quinn narrowed her eyes at this.
"No I want to. Kurt, I know Defying Gravity means a lot to you considering, but have any of you once taken the time to figure out why I was so excited to get the solo and why I was so sad when Mr. Schue gave it to Kurt? Defying Gravity is more than just one of my favorite songs. It is about overcoming adversity which is what I had to deal with all of my life. Do you guys have to deal with others calling you a slut, a whore, a jezebel, Manhands, Rupaul, and other vicious names? Kurt I know that you have it hard but has anyone ever told you to your face that you were a fag because I would never call you that. I would never do anything to intentionally hurt you that's why I let it go because I know that that song was important for you," Rachel said tears streaming down her face. She was shaking with pain. She felt as her heart was going to burst at any moment. Puck saw as Kurt's eyes grew wide at the word 'fag' and then saw how his expression softened. Puck pulled her close to him but she wanted to continue.
"My decision to quit is not a diva decision because I didn't get the solo; I don't care anymore. I'm quitting because I see what my presence in this club is doing to all of you. Brittany, Santana, Mike and Matt you guys were so close now you're fighting each other because they've decided to be my friend. Finn and Puck's friendship has strained, and I've hurt Quinn and Finn's relationship more than I've ever meant to. And the rest, I don't know what I did to deserve this from all of you. We were the original five; I thought there was some loyalty in that. Whatever I may have done to all of you, I'm sorry but I refuse to be treated like this any longer." By this time, she was bawling into Puck's chest, Mike and Matt surrounding her as well. The rest of the glee club looked at each other shocked, not knowing what to say. She pushed away from Puck's chest. She needed to get out of there.
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