Alright, this is a story in which basically Rachel is diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome and learns how to cope. I am planning on this being a multi-chapter fic and you could think of it taking place anywhere from post Duets to pre The Sue Sylvester Shuffle. As some of you might know, I do have Asperger's, and I feel that Rachel might, too. The social awkwardness, and like Rachel, sometimes I do say things that offend people because I don't know that they are offensive. Of course, I'm much younger than Rachel (going into 8th grade.) However, everyone I've ever asked tells me they don't think that's the case. I'm not sure if I can sense it because I have it and maybe normal people can't because they don't have it, or maybe I'm just hoping she does, because there are no people on TV that I know of who I think may have Asperger's, but Rachel is my biggest role model, because I know how it feels to have everyone in your class hate you for no reason.
Rachel looked around the waiting room. "Why am I here?" she asked her dad Michael.
"Because," her dad replied, looking up from the magazine he had been reading and looking at his adoptive daughter over the tops of his thick glasses. "Rachel, the guidance counselor from your school evaluated you and thinks you may have Asperger's Syndrome."
"What's Asperger's Syndrome?" Rachel asked.
"It's high functioning autism," her other dad, John, replied.
"Oh, no!" Rachel squeaked. "I… I don't want to go to a special ed class, Dad and Daddy."
"Don't worry," John assured his daughter. "You have a very high IQ. You'll still be able to be in the same classes. You'll just have to meet with the guidance counselor twice a week and stuff."
"Oh," Rachel said, thoroughly unconvinced, looking down at her pink fingernails. Suddenly, a woman came to the door. She was wearing a white doctors' coat and she had a clipboard.
"Rachel Berry?" she called, and Rachel rose to her feet.
"Hello, Rachel," the doctor said, as the two walked through the door and down a long, narrow hallway. "I'm Doctor Kahn, but you can just call me Lea." Rachel nodded. "Now," the doctor continued as they approached a door and the doctor reached out, taking the knob and pulling, the door popping open. "You can take a seat," she told Rachel, and Rachel took a seat at the little kid table, which was way too small for her. "You're an interesting case," Lea told Rachel. "Most of the girls I work with are little 3 and 4 year olds, so it'll be very interesting to work with you." Lea and Rachel talked about everything. Rachel told Lea about her home life, and her interest in singing, dancing, and acting. She told Lea about her crush/relationship with Finn and friends, or lack of. Then Lea asked her to play with blocks, use dolls in a story, use inanimate objects to create a story, to answer questions, and more. By the time they were finished, it was two hours later and Rachel was exhausted. "Alright," Lea told her. "You can go out and ask your fathers to come in here. I'll score what you told me and then tell your fathers the results."
"Alright," Rachel replied, nodding. She stood up and walked back into the waiting room, and her fathers stood up and walked back into the room with Lea. Rachel sat down and tried to focus on her homework, but she couldn't. She was too busy thinking. Finally, after what seemed the longest time, her fathers came back.
"What did Lea tell you?" Rachel asked.
"Why don't we go eat at Farmers' Delight?" her dad, Michael replied, while her daddy John nodded. "It's much too late to go home and cook dinner."
"Alright," Rachel replied, nodding. Farmers' Delight was a restaurant that her dads and her loved, because it was the only restaurant in this stupid cow town that was aimed towards vegans, and had more than just one or two vegan items on the whole menu.
They got to Farmers' Delight, sipping their drinks and had ordered their food when John began to talk.
"Rachel?" John said.
"Yes?" Rachel asked, looking up from her Diet Coke.
"Doctor Kahn scored your tests and determined that you do indeed have Asperger's."
"Oh," Rachel said glumly, looking down and refusing to talk to her fathers for the rest of the meal. When they got home, she immediately ran upstairs and flopped down on her bed, not even taking off her pajamas. While some people would think she was being over dramatic, it was like she had lost a part of herself, like the Rachel she had known for 16 years wasn't her true self. She wasn't like everyone else.
In the morning, she woke up, groaning. Instead of jumping out of bed at her alarm clock and beginning to exercise on her elliptical machine, she unplugged her alarm clock and stared at the ceiling, hoping that an asteroid would come out of nowhere and kill her. Normally, she was a Monday person, but today was different. She couldn't face school today.
"Rachel?" John appeared at the door. "Hi Daddy," Rachel sniffled, pretending she was sick. "I-I don't feel so well."
"Rachel, are you okay?" Michael asked.
"No," Rachel croaked. He ran to get a thermometer.
"Hey, you don't have a fever," he said. "Do you not want to go because of what we found out last night?"
"No!" Rachel said, blushing. "Daddy, I'm sick!"
"Well, do you want me and your Dad to stay home from work today?" Michael asked. "After all, if you're sick, you need someone to take care of you."
"N-no dad, I'll be fine!" she said.
"Alright," Michael said, sighing. "Just for today." He then turned and walked downstairs.
"Guys, I have an announcement to make," Mr. Schue said, walking into the room. Everyone looked at him. "I know you guys don't particularly like Rachel, but you need to be nice to her."
"Why?" Quinn asked as she sat there, holding Sam's hand. "I would rather set myself on fire than be around Rachel."
"Because?" Mr. Schue said. "Rachel has been diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome." When we was said that, he was met with confused looks, which was what he had been planning on. "Here, I have pamphlets, guys." He went around passing out the pamphlets, which were talking about what Asperger's Syndrome was. Finn just sat there with a confused look. When had this happened?
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