Disclaimer- Please, I WISH I owned any of this!

Rachel's POV

Almost a week has passed since the whole 'Run Joey Run' debacle and the only one who seems to have forgiven me is Puck, and when I asked him why he forgave me so easily he muttered something about forgiveness and being Jewish before walking off with Quinn. Whatever his reason was, the knowledge that not everyone hated me helped to calm my nerves at least the slightest bit. Jesse is still refusing to talk to me though, which doesn't really surprise me. The ice in his stare, however, never fails to cut me to the core. I mean, I get that he claims to have been hurt the most by that video and maybe he really believes that, but the fact that Finn has been avoiding me completely since it happened makes me think otherwise. I've tried time and time again to apologize to him about it, to all of them, but every time I even get close to Finn, he all but storms away.

That is why, as the bell rings, I take a deep breath and make my way over to him as he opens his locker. My breathing is nervous and unsteady, and I'm completely aware that he might just walk off again. But that small bit of hope that rests in my heart is what pushes my feet forward, and I'm soon just a few feet from his locker.

"Finn..." I start, hesitantly.

"Whatever it is, Rachel, I don't want to hear it. I'm not in the mood to deal with...any of this right now" His words are cold and flat, and hes refusing to look at me. Without missing a beat, he slams his locker shut and walks off.

"Finn!" I call out after him. Trying to hide the pain and disappointment in my voice, I suck in another deep breath before following him. "Finn, please just hear me out. I-" My next words are cut off, however, when he turns on his heel to face me.

"What, Rachel? What do you have to say? That your sorry? I know you are, okay? I get that. But it doesn't take away the fact that what you did hurt. You know how I feel about you, Rachel. You know that I'm...that I have feelings for you, which are clearly not returned. I get that too. But then to find out that you used me in your video to help your reputation, along with two other guys, one of which is your boyfriend, hurt. You used me, Rachel. I thought you were better than that." His rant brings tears to my eyes, and causes me to bow my head in shame as other students look on. There is a brief pause and I let a few of the tears fall from my eyes. As he lets out a deep breath, I can tell he is trying to simmer down. "Look, I just...I need some time to myself right now. I don't...I just don't think I'm ready to forgive you yet, I'm sorry" These are his last words before he walks off, leaving me standing in the middle of the crowded hallway looking after him.

"He'll come around eventually" Artie's voice comes from behind me, shaking me from my thoughts. Turning to face him, my only guess is that he heard everything. More tears well up in my eyes and I'm forced to look away before they spill over. "Come with me, lets go talk somewhere" he suggests, gesturing towards the auditorium doors down the hall. With a small nod, I get behind his wheelchair and head off.

A few minutes of silence passes between us as I let a few more tears escape silently. All too soon, we arrive at the doors and he is pulling them open before letting himself in. As I quietly wipe my tears away, he begins.

"Rachel, I'm not going to lie. That video was kind of atrocious. It wasn't fair to any of the guys in it, and they all have a right to be mad at you" Guilt washes over me as I head towards the stage with him before sitting on the steps. "But that doesn't excuse Finn yelling at you like that in front of everyone. Yeah, you can be overbearing and annoying sometimes, but that's what we all love about you. You keep us all motivated, and never stop pushing. Don't worry about Finn, he'll come around soon enough. Give it another couple of days and this will all blow over"

"But what if it doesn't? What if I really have crossed a line this time? I mean, Finn was right. I was aware of his feelings for me when I made that video, but I didn't take any of that into consideration when I was actually doing it." I explain, looking down at my hands. "Its no wonder he hates me" I add softly, shaking my head as his words flow through my mind again. I thought you were better than that... I just don't think I'm ready to forgive you yet. I cant help but squeeze my eyes shut as I remember the pain in his voice.

"He doesn't hate you. Come on, this is Finn we're talking about. Everything will be back to normal in a few days, just try not to dwell on it too much." A part of me is still surprised that Artie is even talking to me, while the other part is just thankful to actually have someone to talk to.

"Thanks Artie" I say softly with a sad smile as I finally look back up. The sound of one of our phones vibrating breaks our conversation, and he pulls his out with an apologetic look after he looks at the screen.

"My dads waiting out in the parking lot, so I gotta go" He explains, backing up his chair. "Like I said, try not to focus too much of your attention on all this. It will all blow over by next week" These are his last words before he leaves with a parting smile. I sit alone in the empty auditorium with only my thoughts to keep me company, going over the last half hour in my mind. Silently praying that Artie was right, I slowly make my way out and to my locker. After retrieving my things, I leave campus with the hopes that Monday would bring an end to the hostility between Finn and me.

The weekend seemed to drag on forever, but school eventually comes back around as always on Monday morning. With my hopes for forgiveness skyrocketing, I get ready with impressive speed and almost run a red light on my way. My hopes begin to dwindle, however, when I don't see him as I scan the halls upon arriving. Letting out a disappointed sigh, I make my way to my locker to get my things for first period. As I open the metal door, a folded up piece of paper falls out onto the floor. Bending down to get it, I can feel my face contorting to a look of confusion. Unfolding it, I begin to read, trying my best to ignore the flips my stomach is doing when I recognize the handwriting.

Rachel,

I shouldn't have gone off on you like that on Friday. I'm sorry. Meet me on the bleachers by the football field.

-Finn

Without a second thought, I slam my locker shut and all but run back out to the football field. I make it in half the amount of time it normally would, and I'm slightly out of breath once I reach the bleachers. Then I see him. His gaze is focused on the football field, though I know he knows I've arrived. The fact that he still refuses to look at me shoots down all the hope I'd woken up with. Almost shyly, I make my way over to where he sits and take a seat on the bench above his. There is a long silence between us as he stares at the field and I stare at him. For a brief second, I get a sense of Deja Vu and my mind wanders back to when me and Noah sat in this sat position all those months ago.

"I don't want to be mad at you anymore" He states finally. Just as I am about to reply, he goes on. "But that video hurt. To be fair though, I guess it wasn't just the video thats been getting to me lately"

"What else was it then?" I'm almost afraid of his answer.

"Jesse hasn't talked to you since it happened, has he." Its not a question, hes stating what he already knows is true. For some reason, this doesn't hurt as much as it should. I simply stay silent. "I'm sorry for yelling at you yesterday. I was out of line"

"Finn, what else is bothering you? You know that whatever it is, you can tell me"

"Its the fact that your with that asshole in the first place!" He blurts out. The bell for first hour rings in the background but neither one of us make a move to leave. Running a hand through his hair, he sighs before resting his elbows on his knees. "I'm sorry, and I know we're friends so I should be happy that your with someone who makes you happy. But I cant. Not when its him. Not when it.." His voice trails off, but I hear him whisper to himself the words that nearly break my heart. "isn't me"

"Finn, I..."

"Look, I know I had my chance with you and I blew it. I was a jerk and it took me loosing you to figure out how much you meant to me. And I know all this sounds lame or whatever, but its the truth. I did a lot of thinking over the weekend, and I realized two things. First, staying mad at you is one of the hardest things in the world. Avoiding you was hell on me. Strangely enough, I actually missed your endless talking" This elicits a small smile from me. "And second," his voice is somewhat distant, almost as if hes talking to himself rather than to me. "I had no right to be mad or hurt by that video. All I seemed to do those first few months with you in Glee was screw up. You can try to deny it or brush it off, but I know I hurt you Rachel. And I'm so sorry for that, for all of it" As he says this, he turns to look at me for the first time since our conversation began, and I feel my heart give an unsteady beat against my rib cage.

"Finn, I..." This time, it isn't Finn who cuts me off. This voice sends a chill down my spine, and I jump a bit at the sound.

"Frankenteen! Loud girl! What do you think your doing out here? Get to class!" Sue Sylvester's voice calls out through a mega-phone as she stands out on the football field.

With a sigh escaping both of us, we hesitantly stand without another word and begin heading back towards the building. Before going off on our separate ways, he stops me once again.

"Oh, and Rachel.." He says as begins walking backwards, keeping his eyes on me. "Even after all this, don't think I'm giving up. I'm going to make you see who the better man really is." He says confidently, giving me that famous half smile before turning around and walking normally.

Shaking my head lightly, I am unable to stop the small smile that forms over my lips as I head to class. Things are going to be alright, I think to myself. You've got Finn back and, at this point, thats all that matters.

A/N- So, what do you think? As always, thoughts and opinions are more than welcome! I actually had fun writing this, so I hope you guys enjoy reading it as well. More one-shots and missing scenes will be added very soon, so stick with me. Oh, and the title of this series is a line from the song We Are Golden by Mika.

Coming up next: Very short one-shot about Will and Emma with a special appearence from my favorite pairing on the show (: Warning: It might break your heart just a little bit ;)