Rachel Berry had often fantasized about a perfect summer. She imagined that she'd have a few close female friends and they'd have numerous sleepovers. They'd watch old movies, give each other makeovers, spend all day by the pool, share secrets, go on vacations together. She also imagined sharing late summer nights with the perfect boyfriend who would whisper that he loved her during the fireworks show downtown on the fourth of July. Rachel was sure that this year a part of that fantasy would become a reality.
Finn had confessed that he loved her at regional's and they've been together since the last day of school. They have spent three blissful weeks together and Rachel had already labeled this as the best summer of her life. She even started an online blog dedicated to their romance and her first real summer(the blog was anonymous of course, she couldn't have Jacob and the rest of McKinley High knowing her business).
Tonight Rachel and Finn were finally going to 'do it'. They were in love and Rachel knew that she was ready. Finn was the only person she could ever picture herself doing it with. Well besides her middle school fantasies about Justin Timberlake, but that was different because she knew that would never happen. But with Finn it could be a reality, it is going to be a reality.
Rachel awoke at 9 A.M., which was late for her even in the summer. Her thoughts immediately went to Finn and the romantic night ahead of them. After her morning routine Rachel found herself looking through her clothes, searching for the perfect outfit to wear tonight and the perfect ensemble to go underneath. She wanted Finn to go crazy when he undressed her. Rachel was known for her super short skirts, but her clothing didn't get more promiscuous than that. Not even her undergarments were sexy. She sighed a frustrated sigh when she realized that nothing she had would work. She would just have to go shopping.
Rachel's daddy dropped her off at the mall at 3:30 that afternoon. The mall was already crowded and bustling with summer excitement. It seemed like every store had a brightly colored banner displayed in their window with the words Summer Blowout Sale! written in big bold letters. As Rachel headed towards one of the stores she had always steered clear of because of their, for the lack of a better word, slutty clothing, she ran into two people she was hoping to avoid this summer. But to her dismay Lima, Ohio wasn't a very big town and it was almost impossible not to see someone you didn't want see.
"Hey man-hands." Santana smirked as she stepped in front of Rachel.
"Hi Rachel!" Santana's sidekick, Brittany smiled and waved enthusiastically. She was so oblivious to the fact that Santana had just insulted Rachel.
"Santana, Brittany." Rachel greeted them with a forced smile. She noticed that they weren't in the Cheerio's uniform she was used to seeing them in. Instead they were both wearing denim shorts and tank tops. Their hair wasn't pulled back into the usually high ponytail, but hanging loosely on their shoulders.
"Shopping for a water bra, Berry?" Santana snapped.
"Do you keep your goldfish in a water bra?" Brittany whispered. Santana just rolled her eyes and ignored the question.
"You know Santana, I'm not going to let your comments get to me. I'm more confident than I've ever been and you won't change that."
"Why? Because wittle wachel's in love?" Santana giggled and Brittany followed suit.
"As a matter of fact yes. Now if you'll excuse I have some shopping to do." Rachel tried to push passed the girls, but Santana caught her arm.
"Listen Berry, Finn isn't as perfect as you think."
Don't listen to her Rachel, don't listen. Rachel told herself, but when she looked into Santana's usually intensely mean eyes she could see nothing but genuine concern. "Wha-What do you mean?"
"While Finn was 'trying' to win you back he was sleeping with me." Santana dropped her arm and for a second she almost looked ashamed, but then that emotionless look came back and even the concern was gone.
"I don't believe you. Finn told me that he didn't go through with it and I have no reason not to believe him." Rachel stated firmly, but in her head it sounded like she was trying to convince herself rather than the gorgeous head Cheerio in front of her.
"Get real, Rachel. Finn has lied to you." The latina snapped and stepped closer to Rachel. "Look, I'll deny I ever said this, but aside from your bossiness and occasionally talking too much you're actually a good person and you deserve better than Finn."
Rachel just nodded nervously and the two girls turned and walked away, slipping into the mall traffic. When they were out of sight Rachel was able to move. She walked to the nearest exit, trying to desperately hold back the tears that were building up and blurring her vision. She pushed open the doors to the mall and began to walk.
Ten minutes later, she ended up at the old abandoned park two blocks away from the mall, sitting on an old, rusted swing. She calmed down her crying and pulled out her cell phone. She dialed the number she had memorized over 9 months ago.
"Hey Rach." Finn answered on the third ring.
"Can you meet me at the old abandoned park by the mall?" She asked trying to keep her voice from cracking. She didn't want him to know that she'd been crying just yet.
"Sure. Is everything okay?" He asked actually sounding worried.
"I'll see you soon, Finn." With that Rachel snapped her phone shut and placed her face into her hands.
Stupid, Rachel. Stupid, stupid, stupid. Ugh and I just had to wear these stupid flats today…And the weather had to be scorching. And stupid Finn. Everything's just stupid. I can't even think of a better word than stupid. My extensive vocabulary is gone. I'm going to bomb the SAT's and not get into college. STUPID.
Five minutes later Rachel was pulled from her thoughts by Finn's car door slamming. She looked up to find him smiling at her, but his smile fell when he noticed her tear stained face.
"Rachel, what's wrong? Did you lose your voice again?"
"Did you sleep with Santana?" She whispered almost inaudible.
"What? Who told you that?" He reached out to touch her hand that was resting on her knee, but she jerked it away and stood up.
"It doesn't matter. Just answer me, Finn." She began to cry again. "Did you sleep with Santana?"
"It was only once and we weren't together." He defended.
"You still lied to me, the girl you 'love'."
"But you told me that you slept with Jesse and that was a lie." He reminded her.
"That's different." Rachel retorted.
"Your lie may not be as bad as mine, but its still a lie."
"Okay, you're right, but this isn't the first time that you've lied to me, Finn. I let all of that go because I understood what you were going through with Quinn, but I..I just don't know if I can forgive this." She stated honestly.
"Does this mean we're breaking up?" Finn fought back te urge to cry. Partly out of sadness, but mostly out of guilt. Rachel didn't deserve this especially after that all she'd done for him this year.
"Yes it does. I'm sorry Finn, but I've forgiven you enough already and you keep betraying that."
"I do love you though. I swear I do." He grabbed her hand and this time she let him, but the spark she used to feel when he touched didn't happen this time.
"I know, but to be honest I don't know if I love you. I wanted a boyfriend so badly. I wanted to be cool so badly and then you joined Glee and it was perfect. You're attractive and funny and talented. I think I let my head get ahead of my heart. I tend to do that. Look at the whole Jesse situation." She paused. "I kept forgiving you for using me and lying to me because I wanted those things. I was selfish and I ended up getting hurt. I can't keep doing this to myself."
"I am truly sorry Rachel. You're right you don't deserve this, but I promise you that we are meant to be together, you'll see." He smiled halfheartedly, "I don't give up that easy."
Rachel remembered the first time her told her that, but it just doesn't have the same affect on her as it did that day. It was like something in the universe changed in a matter of twenty minutes. It was like the pull she felt towards Finn was gone and she could walk away without looking back.
"I guess I'll be seeing you around?" He spoke again and all she could do was nod. He leaned down and placed a light kiss on her forehead. "Do you need a ride home?"
"No, I want to stay here for a while. My daddy will pick me up." She assured him.
"Okay, well bye Rachel."
"Goodbye Finn."
Rain poured from the dark sky, thunder boomed and lightening struck as Rachel hid under the slide. The storm hit suddenly, sending Rachel running for shelter. She called her daddy, but he got called in to the office and asked her to have Finn pick her up, but she couldn't tell her father that she a Finn had just broken up. With her other dad out of town she had no one to call. She considered calling Puck, him being the only person's number from Glee club that she had, but she couldn't press the send button. She and Noah weren't exactly speaking after the whole 'Run Joey, Run' debacle. So, once the thunder and lightning stopped and the rain calmed enough Rachel decided to walk back to the mall.
She had gotten a half a block before a black SUV, that she vaguely recognized pulled to a stop beside her. The back passenger side window rolled down revealing fellow Glee clubber Artie Abrams' face. "Rachel, do you need a ride?'
She nodded, "That would be lovely, but I don't want to ruin your upholstery."
"Nonsense." She heard Mrs. Abrams say from the front seat.
"Its not problem hope in the passenger seat." Artie assured her with a smile.
Rachel climbed into SUV next to Artie's smiling mom. "Hello Rachel. I hope you don't mind, but we have to pick up some dinner from the Chinese place."
"That's fine, I'm on your time. Thank you so much for the ride." She had never had said more than a hello Mr. and Mrs. Abrams, but so far Artie's mother was lovely lady.
"Its no problem, right Artie?' She asked her suddenly quiet son.
"Oh no, no problem at all." Rachel could hear the fakeness in Artie's voice. She knew his mother noticed her and made him offer her the ride.
The rest of the ride was silent, only Mrs. Abrams spoke when she parked the car at the mall and said that she would leave us in the car and that she would be right back. The SUV fell silent again and Rachel couldn't help but fidget, she didn't do well with awkward silence.
"Some weather, huh?' Artie finally broke. He didn't do well with awkward silence either.
"Yeah it just starting pouring all of a sudden." She could feel Artie getting annoyed with the fact that he had Rachel Berry in his car and he was forced to be nice to her. Not that he was ever really mean to her. He did help her out before, but he has said some pretty harsh yet true things to Rachel. He was honest and up front with her and for that Rachel respected him, but she never thought of him as a friend.
"If you don't mind me asking, why were you walking in the rain?" He asked curiously.
"Its kind of a long story, but I was supposed to be at the mall, but something happened and I walked to the park and then it started storming and when I called my daddy to pick me up he got called into the office and dad is away on business, so therefore I was stranded, so once things calmed down I started walking and that brings me to hear." She told him in one breath. Thank God for her singer's lungs.
"Why didn't you just call Finn?"
"Well, Finn and I aren't exactly together anymore." She informed him.
"I'm sorry to hear that Rachel. I know how much you like him. I'm sure things will work out for you guys and if not there are better fish in the sea, I promise." Artie comforted her the best way he could.
"Why are you being so nice to me? I thought you hated me just like everyone else." She wondered out loud.
"I don't hate you Rachel. Sometimes you can be too bossy and annoying and sometimes you do seem selfish, but we know that you aren't really like that. Look what you did for Mercedes back at sectionals. You have made mistakes, but we all do." He explained actually sounding genuine.
"I know, I've been terrible to you guys, but I can't help it. My obsession with being perfect gets in the way. I want you guys to like me, but then I open my mouth and I say something stupid."
"I know that you don't realize that you're hurting our feelings or making us angry when you correct us or shut down our ideas, but we all just want to give our input too. We're all talented and yes we lack your experience and training, but we're still just as talented as you and we just want you to respect our talent and our ideas."
"I need to get better at that. I know that you are all very talented and sometimes you're ideas are very good. I'll try to get better and listening and not talking so much next year." Rachel turned in her seat and faced him. He gave her a small smile and winked.
"But to be fair, your ideas are almost always great, whether we admit it or not." That actually made her smile. "Again if you don't mind me asking, but what happened with you and Finn?"
"You don't want to hear my problems."
"I'm a great listener and no offense, but it doesn't seem like you have a friend to tell your problems to, so I'll be here for you."
"Finn slept with Santana. We weren't dating at the time, but he told me that he didn't go through with it and then I run into Santana and Brittany today here at the mall and Santana told me. So I called Finn and he finally admitted to it." She confessed, giving him a shorter, less detailed version.
"I'm really sorry Rachel. You don't deserve that."
"Thanks for saying that, but I was the one who let myself keep falling for him. I mean why wouldn't he sleep with Santana, she's gorgeous and then look at me. I'm just average looking, annoying, selfish, bossy Rachel."
"Rachel, you are not average. I'm not going to lie sometimes you are annoying and bossy and selfish, but you've changed a lot this year." Artie smiled. "Rachel, you're beautiful. Sure you have your flaws. We all have them. Even Santana, but no one, especially you deserves to be lied to."
Rachel reached forward and gave Artie's hand a squeeze, "that really means a lot, Artie. Thank you. Seriously. I don't think anyone has said nicer things to me. Not even Finn."
"Well, I meant them. You deserve a good friend Rachel and I'm willing to be that person for you. I know I haven't been the nicest to you, but I apologize for that. I haven't really let myself get to know you better and I want to. We're going to be in Glee together for the rest of high school, so why shouldn't we be friends?' He chuckled a little.
Rachel felt a tear roll down her cheek and she quickly wiped it away and turned around when Mrs. Abrams got into the car. "Hey mom, do you think Rachel could come over for dinner. I mean if you want to Rachel."
"That would be lovely." Rachel looked over at Mrs. Abrams who was smiling. She was glad her son was giving a friendship with Rachel a chance.
"That'd be wonderful. I ordered so much food."
So much had changed in the last hour and a half of Rachel's life, but one thing hadn't. She was still going to have the summer she dreamed of. With Artie being her first and truest friend.