"Rachel! Slow down! You're like the shortest person alive, how are you walking so fast?"
"It's my adrenaline!" Rachel exclaimed to her best friend, Quinn Fabray.
"Well you are exhausting me and Penny," Quinn said as she pointed to Rachel's English cocker spaniel, Penny, who had started to wag her tongue.
"Oh! Penny, darling I'm sorry, momma got carried away," Rachel cooed as she bent down to caress her dog.
"Oh, Q, I'm just feeling relieved and energized," Rachel said as she continued to walk, at a slower pace this time, down the streets of New York City. "I feel new! I have amazing friends! An amazing job! My amazing baby Penny! And live in this amazing city!" she exclaimed with a big smile.
"Here here! See, this is the Rachel Berry I know; who will not let a little boy bring her down," Quinn cheered.
"Exactly. Breaking up with Jesse St. James, and for good may I add, has been the best decision I have ever made, right along with not getting a nose job. I have never felt so fresh and new in my life!" Rachel gushed and smiled.
Rachel Berry and Jesse St. James had been on and off for the past year and a half. For Rachel, he had been her match. Both talented with ambition and dedication. Just not for each other. What started off as a match made in broadway heaven turned into a competition between two stars. Always trying to outshine the other and it soon led to Rachel beginning to dim. She wasn't innocent either, she did have her diva moments, but he made her question her talent. But Rachel Berry knew that she would never be put out and so she had to change things in her life.
"Never again will I let a man make me think I am not capable of greatness and more! Jesse St. James is no more. At first he thought I was joking when I stated that we were done for good. He smiled and tried to go all 'sweetheart' on me and I looked at him in the eye and told him he was the most vain human being on earth and to get the hell out of my apartment and life," Rachel continued on to her friend.
"And he finally got the message through his thick head I'm guessing," Quinn smirked.
Rachel looked at her friend with happiness, "Yes he did! And then I started singing Irreplaceable as he carried his stuff out the door and gave him my biggest smile and slammed the door in his face!"
"You would serenade him out the door," Quinn chuckled.
"To the left to left, everything you own in the box to the left..." Rachel sang happily as Quinn joined in with her as they both laughed.
"So," Quinn smiled as they both stopped singing, not once caring how strange they made had looked in the middle of the street, "What's next for Rachel Barbara Berry?"
"I am in a new chapter of my life and I need to do something to acknowledge it," she answered.
"Hair cut?"
"No no, I am not going down Felicity lane."
"Hey Felicity lane is not bad," Quinn protested and she ran her hand through her bob.
"It has to be bigger than that!" Rachel continued as she turned the corner. "It has to be daring."
"Like jumping out of an airplane daring?"
"Oh no! I am not ready for something like that," Rachel kept walking down the street as she continued to think.
"Rory! Make mine an iced latte!" A female voice yelled out from across the street. "Got it Tina," A young irish man answered back.
From that brief conversation that occurred from across the street in the busy sidewalk of Greenwich Village, Rachel turned her head to the right. Right then she knew how she was going to celebrate her new found independence.
"A tattoo!" Rachel exclaimed as she crossed the street not once caring about the taxi that honked multiple times at her.
"So sorry," Quinn quickly apologized as she dashed after her friend and her dog. "Rachel are you crazy!"
"Quinn this is it! This is what I am meant to do," Rachel smiled as approached the tattoo shop.
"A tattoo?"
"Yes! It is daring and exciting and just perfect!"
"Rach think about it," Quinn said as she grabbed her friend's arm before she walked in. "This is permanent. Not something you can grow back or wash away. Plus, there's pain involved!"
"Don't worry I can take it," she grinned as she pushed the blue door open.
Rachel did not realize that the tattoo shop would be so big and spacious. She was met with a tall black counter that had a young Asian woman with blonde streaks in her long black hair scribbling away in a red leather book.
Hearing the cars being muffled by the door shutting and the jingle from Penny's collar, the woman looked up and smiled at Quinn and Rachel.
"Hi! Welcome to Sweet Caroline's Tattoo Parlor, I'm Tina, how can I help you ladies?"
Rachel stood in front of the counter and extended her hand, her smile never dropping, "Hello Tina! I am Rachel Berry and I have a few questions."
Tina's eyes widened as she recognized the name. "Wow it's so nice to meet you! I just saw you perform the other night and you have converted me into a fan! You were amazing!"
"Thank you so much Tina!"
"I swear you had me and my girlfriends crying by the end of the show!"
"Good! Not in a good you cried but good you enjoyed the show. See Quinn this is another sign that me coming in here was meant to be!" Rachel beamed and Penny barked up at Quinn as well, almost as if she was agreeing with her owner.
"Is that a cocker spaniel?" Tina smiled as she came out from behind the counter.
"Yes, this is Penny. I'm sorry I should have asked if I could bring her in but I got lost in my excitement."
"Oh don't worry about it! Mind if I pet her?" Tina asked and got an enthusiastic nod form Rachel. "Hi Penny! You are a gorgeous thing!"
"Just like her owner, attention whores," Quinn joked as Penny wagged her tail from the attention Tina's was giving her.
Tina laughed as she returned back behind the counter. "So what has brought you ladies here today?"
"Well Tina I have come in to discuss me getting a tattoo. I honestly do not know where I want it or what I would want it to be but I had a few quick questions to ask," Rachel explained.
"Ask away," the tattoo artist smiled.
"Well, what is the reputation of the shop? From the looks of it, I don't think I will need to worry about contracting some disease."
Tina laughed, "No, no diseases here. We are actually a well known shop."
"I've read about you guys in Rolling Stone," Quinn commented. "You've had people from Justin Timberlake to Axl Rose come in here."
"Yup that would be us," Tina smiled, proudly. "Do you have anything in mind on what you would like to get?"
"Hmm, not sure," Rachel said thoughtfully. "Something meaningful of course."
"Just get Penny tattooed on you," Quinn laughed.
Rachel, ignoring Quinn, continued, "Honestly Tina, me getting a tattoo was a recent revelation..."
"Like literally five seconds ago," Quinn mumbled.
"...so I was thinking maybe getting an appointment first would suffice."
"Rach I'm gonna take Penny outside, I think someone needs to use the restroom," Quinn said.
"Alright, thanks, I will be right out," Rachel said as she waited for Tina to bring up the schedule for the month on the computer. "I was thinking a Wednesday would work great for me."
"No problem. But as an artist, getting a tattoo shouldn't be rushed. I am all for getting something done but this art and it should never be rushed. I'm sure from one artist to another you understand what I mean," Tina smiled.
Rachel smiled. "I do and you're right. I think I got excited; I tend to do that and jump before I think. I do want a tattoo but I think you are right about not rushing."
"Here is my card; it has my email and the shop's number. You can email me or call in if you have any questions; I would be more than happy to answer any questions as well as anyone else here."
"Thank you Tina. I hope you don't think I just wasted your time."
"Not at all. You made my day! Believe me when I say I am a fan. But, what made you want to get a tattoo?" she asked as she handed Rachel the business card.
"My newly found independence," Rachel smiled. "I'm sure you have been given that line a lot but I want something that will represent that feeling you get when you know you're life is about to get good, you know?"
Tina chuckled, "Believe me I do. I got this one when I first moved to New York." She rolls up her long sleeve and shows Rachel the landscape of the New York skyscrapers that has been tattooed on her arm. "This just screams independence I believe."
Rachel happily admires the tattoo and was about to respond back when a loud manly voice comes from behind Tina.
"Is Rory back yet? I'm fucking dying for some coffee." said the man in an irritated voice.
Tina playfully rolls her eyes, "He'll be back Puck, he barely left. Don't get your panties in a twist."
"Tina, honey, you know I got something way better than panties in these pants," he smirked as Rachel cringed.
Rachel was surprised that Tina just laughed. "Puck I want you to meet a future tattoo-e, Rachel Berry."
Rachel, the always courteous woman that she is, smiled wide and held out her hand, "Rachel Berry, nice to meet you Puck was it?"
Puck gave a nod as he shook her hand. "Whoa, you got a good grip there for being so small; and yeah it's Puck."
"Like the fairy?"
Tina snorted as Puck glared at her. "Puckerman."
"Rachel plays Christine in Phantom of the Opera."
"That's like some musical right?" Puck said, nonchalantly.
With a small flinch and tight smile, "Yes, yes it's some musical."
"Cool. Tina let me know when my 12:30 is here. And text Rory to hurry the hell up, I need my coffee." Puck looks at Rachel completely unfazed by the fact that she is a broadway star.
Rachel turns to Tina and gives her a tight smile, "He seems nice."
Tina gives a small laugh. "I guess you're not one of those swooning floozies that fall at his feet. Don't let his conversation "skills" get to you."
"He's one of the tattoo artists I'm guessing."
"Yup; he's also the owner. Puck built this place and made it what it is," Tina gushed. "He's a good guy just rough around the edges."
The front door is open again and Rachel sees the same Irish man walk in carrying coffee. "Tina, your iced latte. Where's Puck? Is he whining for his coffee?" he smirked.
"Thanks Rory. You guessed it! He's in his office," Tina said as she pointed to a door in the back. "So Rachel. Anymore questions?"
Rachel smiled at Tina, "No. None at the moment." She carefully placed the business card into her purse and looked up at Tina once more. "Actually Tina, I do have one more question."
"Ask away."
"Do you regret any of the tattoos you have gotten?"
Tina smiled. "Nope. Like you said, you want to celebrate anytime you feel like your life is about to get good. Tattoos, for me, is a way to do that."
"Whoo! That is one good ass cup of coffee," Puck exclaimed in his deep voice as he came back out of his office, with envelopes in his hands. "Tina, can you please mail these out today."
"Sure no problem," she said as she took them from him.
Puck looked over at Rachel, taking in her appearance and smirked at how tiny she was. "So, did you decide to not get a tattoo?"
Rachel, not backing down, returned the smirk. "Nope, I don't back out of anything. Thank you Tina. I will call in when I have decided on my tattoo."
"Bye Rachel!"
As Rachel walked out, her smile grew wider, loving how truly free she felt.