Stuck on you,
got this feeling down deep in my soul that I just can't lose.
Guess I'm on my way.
Needed a friend,
and the way I feel now I guess I'll be with you 'til the end.
The goodbye was taking too long, she knew that. And she was almost certain he was thinking the same thing, but if he was, his face didn't show it. All she saw in his features were love and concern for her. He had originally planned to start driving early enough to get to school before dark, but she was dragging on their goodbye and she knew she was making him later and later with each passing second. But she couldn't help it.
She knows that this is how things are supposed to go, you grow up and high school does end, and you go to college. And sometimes, you and your boyfriend end up in separate states, no matter how hard you try to get to the same place. But knowing that doesn't make it any easier.
Looking up through watery eyes, she tells him that she loves him and says, in many, many more wordsbut in a way that carries the same meaning, that she'll miss him.
He just says "I love you," then pulls her into his arms one last time, almost crushing her with the weight of his embrace. But it's strong and safe and she's been there more times than she knows how to count.
She clings to his chest as they say goodbye, trying to memorize every part of him, every little freckle on his face for fear the next time she sees him would be much too far away for her liking.
"When will it be?" She thinks. Christmas? No, maybe Thanksgiving. But who knows if either of them will have the means or the time to get back to Lima by then. God, how long will she have to go without him? Thinking about this in such detail only makes things worse, she feels her resolve growing weaker by the second.
She closes her eyes a little tighter to keep the tears in, but it isn't doing any good to keep Finn from noticing just how upset she is.
He can see it written all over her face, she is terrified and he knows why. He can't really say that he doesn't feel the same way, he's just doing a much better job of keeping himself in check. They are going to be so many hours apart, there is so much distance being put between them, and while he knows Rachel doesn't doubt their relationship like she once did after he got back together with Quinn when they were broken up, he knows she's scared that physical distance is going to manifest itself into emotional distance.
One of them has to be the strong one, and when it had so often been Rachel fighting for them, now it's his turn. It is his turn and he's so willing to be strong and steady for her, to give her reassurance and help her feel strong when everything seems so uncertain.
At the moment Rachel thinks she's absolutely going to dissolve into a puddle on the floor, she takes a deep breath, pulls herself together as best she can, and peels herself out of Finn's embrace with the most convincing smile she can muster given the situation. She reaches up, cupping his cheek, and kisses him gently but makes it last long enough for him to feel everything she's feeling right now.
"You should go, Finn. I'm okay. I don't want you still driving when it's dark out."
Finn leans forward then, and kisses her gently on the forehead, says that he loves her, and gets in his car, his whole life packed tightly into it, and begins to drive away.
She leans back and finds herself braced against something warm and solid, and that's when she remembers, Sam. Sam's been here, witnessing this whole drawn out, weepy scene. He said goodbye to Finn first, more brief and much less dramatic than Rachel's goodbye, of course, and stood back, silently, as Rachel crumbled into pieces in Finn's arms.
"Sam." That's all she says, because the second she opens her mouth, he opens his arms.
He's here now, had been all along, and Rachel finds herself wrapped in his embrace, which is so kind and warm and just familiar enough to be exactly what she needs at this exact moment. She doesn't pull away immediately, and neither does Sam, knowing that she needs him to just be there for her right now.
When he finally does let her go, though, he looks down at her gently and his eyes are so full of genuine concern, she knows this boy is going to keep the promise he made Finn, to take care of her in the big city while Finn is away at school, all those miles away.
Sam has been Finn's best friend for years, they grew up together playing peewee football, and Sam and his parents moved next door to Finn and his mom when they were in the sixth grade. So Rachel knows that if Finn were to trust anyone with watching out for her (not that she needs it, but Finn is just being Finn), it's Sam.
She's glad he'll be there in New York with her; wearing a slushie bulls eye pretty much on a daily basis for most of high school made her weary of her ability to make new friends, of her likeability. She's thankful she'll have someone she knows in a place so unfamiliar. Even if Sam isn't her best friend, he's Finn's, and that's good enough for her.
She snaps out of her thoughts and realizes Sam is just looking down at her, waiting for her to look at him, do anything to acknowledge that she isn't alone in Finn's driveway. She flashes a weak, half hearted smile and he reaches out to her.
"Hey, how about you come over to my house for a little bit before you go home?" Sam smiles at her as he's speaking, and she knows he's just trying to make sure she's okay.
"Okay. It'd be nice not to be alone right now. I know this is probably not something you have in your catalogue, but I would really love to watch Funny Girl right now, it's my go to cheer up movie."
Sam just smiles, hugely so, and for a second in her trancelike state Rachel forgets that they're actually friends and thinks he's laughing at her on the inside.
"What is it? Why are you just grinning like the chesire cat?" She almost snaps, she would if she had more energy, but right now she's too drained to be feisty.
"That's actually my mom's favorite movie. I saw it about 100 times growing up. Come on, let's go pop it in."
Rachel smiles, genuinely this time, and Sam reaches out and puts his arm around her, pulling her to him as they walk into his house, the one right next door to the home of the tall, awkward boy she fell in love with in an auditorium.
As they approach Sam's door, she pauses for a second to glance over at Finn's bedroom window, feeling her heart pull. She thinks about all the memories that are held inside that little room, all the times they, for lack of a better word, made out on Finn's tiny bed, Finn all arms and legs hanging off the edges. She sighs, and that's when she realizes Sam's just standing in his doorway looking at her expectantly. She shakes her head, thinking maybe if she shakes it hard enough she can rid it of the firestorm of emotions clouding her brain right now.
Sam smiles, understandingly but in a kind of a sad way, he knows Rachel isn't really okay. But he doesn't say anything, he just holds the door for her and starts talking about his favorite parts of the movie, asking Rachel what hers are; she knows he's only doing this for her benefit. And she smiles. For a brief second, she thinks maybe, she won't be so alone after all.
Author's note: In this story, there is and has never been any Quinn/Sam relationship. I just couldn't really justify the Finn and Sam friendship if that had happened, so as far as I'm concerned, it didn't for the sake of this story. Song lyrics from Stuck on You by Lionel Richie. Please review! :)