This chapter has been revised on 02/12/14.

I started writing this story at the end of 2011. Back then I had not been as good at writing stories in English as I am now, seeing as English is not my mother tongue. Looking back at what I had written back then, I decided to go over the chapters again, to improve the style of writing at least a little bit. I didn't change any of the content of the chapter, though, just some minor details.

With that out of the way, I hope you enjoy the story!


Chapter 1- Conversations between strangers

Rachel sighed. Having heard Kurt and his new choir friends from Dalton sing the love songfor the patrons at Breadstix was making her realize that yup, she was alone. Sure, she had been broken up with Finn for almost three months now, but she hadn't realized it really until now. Finn and her just weren't meant to work out as a romantic couple. As duet partners, yes, he did have a great voice, even if he didn't reach the high f all the time, and everyone knew she was brilliant vocally, as well as in everything else she began to do. Everything, except for relationships. She sucked at those. It had never worked out so far. Not with Noah, not with Jesse (okay, it wasn't her fault he backstabbed her because his choir director wanted to get close to her daughter, only to let her fall as soon as she found something better) and least of all with Finn. It hadn't worked out twice. Twice! That was saying something.

Rachel looked around. The restaurant was almost completely empty by now. Mercedes, Tina and Mike had already left, driving home together because they didn't live too far apart from each other. Kurt had been taken home by Blaine, who had to go in that direction anyway; at least he had said so. Rachel thought it had more to do with the shorter boy wanting to take Kurt home because he liked the fashionista. Even Noah had left with his 'date', Lauren. Rachel didn't like the bigger girl, not for her appearance, but because of her attitude and the fact she made Noah behave even worse than normal.

Here and there sat a few love struck couples, both young and older. She saw two boys from Kurt's school, each holding hands with their respective girlfriend. Great, even these boarding school boys were able to get girlfriends. Why did no one want to go out with her? Was she really too demanding and obnoxious like Santana had said? At least she had her vegan sundae all for herself.

The girl turned back around from where she had watched a young couple holding hands (no, she was not desperate!) to her large glass of ice cream to see the bench across from her in the booth was now occupied. A boy sat in front of her, his chin propped up on his hands, his elbows resting on the table. Rachel looked at the boy dumbstruck. She had seen him somewhere before. She looked further down from his face and noticed the blue and red school uniform the boy was clad in. A Warbler.

"Hey" he said cheerily and took a bite from his chocolate brownie that was on a plate in front of him. Rachel looked at him curiously. What was he doing? Was she in some kind of TV show, like punk'd but with normal people?

"Hey?" she answered timidly. Was he a psycho, looking for his next victim? Maybe the uniform was just a disguise…

"What are you doing here, all alone? I saw you earlier during the performance, but you were with others here. Did they forget you, too?" he asked, as if it was totally normal to just come up and talk to strangers. Still, his happy and enthusiastic way made Rachel smile a little.

"Forgotten? No, I've got my own car, so I can leave whenever I want" she said, as if wanting to make sure her opposite knew she was able to flee in case he really was a psycho. But what he said made her curious. "Who else has been forgotten?" The boy grinned sheepishly.

"Me. My best friend forgot to take me with him. Now I have to wait for Wes and David to go home. But it looks like it'll be sometime till I get to sleep today" he said and shrugged his shoulders, taking another bite from his brownie. Rachel frowned.

"How can your best friend forget you?" she asked. Who would do that? Would people do that to her? Immediately names popped up in her mind: Santana, Quinn, probably Mercedes…

"Well, he didn't do it on purpose, but Jeff had had his fourth espresso shot before the performance and with that much caffeine, he not only gets absolutely hyperactive, but also tends to forget things. Like his best friend" the boy explained. Rachel looked at him compassionately.

"I'm sorry you have to wait now. It's pretty boring I guess. You don't have to sit with me, if you don't want to, you know, I'm fine on my own" she said. I'm used to it, she thought to herself. The boy only grinned.

"I don't mind. After all, it was me who came up to you, not the other way around. Do you want some?" he asked and pointed at the brownie, effectively changing the conversation. Rachel looked at the cake. It looked really good, but most pastry contained dairy or eggs, so it was not possible for her, as a vegan, to eat it.

"I have to warn you, though, it's vegan. Some people don't like it" the boy said as an afterthought and Rachel looked up from the cake and up at him.

"You're a vegan?" she asked, breaking of a little piece of the brownie, now knowing that it was okay for her to eat it.

"Not really, no. I mean, I do eat meat, but I'm allergic to both dairy products and egg, so it's easier to cook and eat vegan. But it's kinda cool to have such allergies. I never have to wait in line for food during lunch, because I have my separate meals" he said and chuckled at his words. This boy was a very strange character.

"I guess it's hard to have to be vegan even if you don't want to be. I'm vegan, you know" she said and popped another piece of cake into her mouth. Why was she taking food from strangers again? Did she have a death wish? Rachel dropped the last remains of the cake on the table and looked at the boy.

"That cake is not poisoned or anything, is it? Are you just talking to me because you want to drug and take advantage of me? I know a lot of self defense, I have you know!" She burst out, but the boy only laughed.

"Why would I do that? Besides, I ate from the brownie, too, so I'd poison myself as well, which would be a pretty dumb thing to do. Really, you have raving imagination in your little head" he said and laughed some more. Now it was Rachel's turn to look at him sheepishly.

"Yeah, well, going to school at McKinley for two and a half years makes you a little weary around other people. Not everyone is nice, like at your school. I guess it's a dream compared to McKinley" she said and shrugged, taking another bite from the brownie.

"Kurt told us a little bit about what went on at his old school. So you were on the receiving end as well?" the boy across from her asked, but Rachel only scoffed, which was very unlike her.

"Was? Everyone in Glee club is tormented all the time. But it got better since some of the footballers joined forces. It took us some time, though. But let me tell you, getting slushie in your face is definitely something you want to avoid at all costs!" Rachel chuckled at that. It was just laughable that stuff like that was going on at their school, but no one did something against it.

"Slushie facials?! Don't the teachers know about that?" the boy asked incredulous. Rachel sighed. Of course the teachers knew, heck, Coach Sylvester had thrown them before herself!

"They know about it, trust me. Our principal likes to admonish us through the intercom, because of the stains on the hall floors, but no one really does something against it. It's just common knowledge that the losers in school are treated like that. It's our school's hierarchy, not that I like it or anything" she said and shrugged. There was nothing really they could do, as long as the teachers didn't react, no one would change their ways.

"Man, I don't know if I could be so cool about all this. So are all the 'losers' affected by this?" the boy asked. Rachel shook her head.

"No, the geeks and nerds and AV club kids are completely fine in our school. It's just us, the Glee club."

"So you're in Glee club?" Rachel smiled. Her being the star of New Directions was her favorite subject to talk about.

"Yes, I'm the co-captain! Without me, there wouldn't even be a glee club, because I'm the glue that keeps everyone together. There have been so many problems in our club, there just needs to be someone, who you can count on. And that's me" she explained and the Warbler looked surprised.

"You're captain? I thought the girl that sang the solo at Sectionals was" he asked and Rachel's eyes widened. Santana? Captain? Over her dead body!

"What? No, that was Santana. She's not captain, our director just thought it would be wise to have others sing lead. Which was totally a bad idea, because see what it brought us! A tie with this a capella group. Really, we were so much better, don't you thi…" she began to ramble, but when she remembered she was sitting in front of a member of 'that a capella group' she blushed a deep red.

"I- gosh, I stepped right in it, didn't I? I didn't want to make you feel bad, I'm just disappointed we didn't win. I… I'm going to close my mouth now!" she said and hid her face in her hands. The boy across from her began to laugh loudly.

"It's okay, really. You don't want to know what we say about you when Kurt's not around. He would rip our heads off. You know, we might just be an a capella group from an all-boys boarding school, but there's gossip I don't even want to talk about!" he said and Rachel came back from behind her hands.

"I didn't want to say you were bad, really, because you are brilliant in what you do. It's just different from the others… Your performance earlier was really good, by the way. But maybe Blaine shouldn't have pointed at Santana at that one point about not finding love at all. I think she had a rough week and I might or might not have been part of the cause of it. I said some pretty mean things to her" Rachel admitted.

"Really? I can't imagine you talking back. What did you say to her?" her opposite asked curiously.

"Well, I might have told her that her only chances in life to be successful would be while working at a pole…" Rachel said and hid behind her hands again. Just thinking about her words made her feel bad again. She really shouldn't have said something like that.

"What?! You said something like that? Oh my God, that's really harsh!" the boy exclaimed and Rachel buried her face in her arms she had crossed on the table, but not before pushing away the now forgotten and molten sundae.

"I know… I regretted it the minute I said it. My dads would kill me if they ever found out. I don't think Santana will ever speak to me again. Not that we spoke much before, because we both don't really like each other, but I don't want to have that on my slate" she sighed and hit her head against the table again in frustration.

"Well maybe you should just apologize. Even if she does not accept it, at least you have tried it. And dads? As in more than one?" he asked. Rachel looked up and rested her head on her hand.

"Yeah, I was adopted. I have two gay fathers. I really love them. They're the best. What about you? Any siblings?" she asked. The boy nodded.

"Yes, two sisters, one's seven, the other fifteen. My younger sister attends Dalton's sister school, she's a freshman there. My other sister lives at home with my parents in Akron. Sadly I don't get to see her much, because I can only go home every other weekend. Warbler practice is really demanding and school is as well" he explained and Rachel nodded. She could imagine how it would feel not to be able to see her family all the time. She wouldn't be able to live like that.

"I wish I had a brother or sister. My dads are great, but sometimes it's a little lonely" she said, sighing.

"Well, living at Dalton has at least one upside: You're never lonely. I mean, there are always people around. Jeff lives with me in a room, Wes and David on one side, and Blaine on the other. He is really lucky to have a room on his own. Sometimes you just need your space" the Warbler said. Rachel was confused by the last statement.

"Blaine? Kurt told me he's from Westerville. Why is he boarding if he lives so close? Akron I can understand, but the same town?" she questioned. The boy opposite her sighed.

"Well, Blaine lives with us mostly because he wants to flee from his family. You know, his dad's not too happy about him being gay. Blaine says there are fights almost every time he's home. But it's better like this, I think. We can practice all the time we want" he said and laughed at his last comment. In that moment a cell phone began to ring.

"Wait a minute, that's mine" he said and got out the device. Flipping it open he held it to his ear, a frown on his face.

"What the hell, dude? Did you forget something, huh? Your best friend, maybe?" he almost shouted. The boy was quiet while he listened to the person on the other end.

"No, Jeff, it's not cool. You freaking forgot me! I was sitting right next to you, man! Now I have to wait for Wes and David to stop making out with their girlfriends before I can get home…No I don't know how long it'll take…Wait a minute" the boy turned around in his seat and shouted across the room, making other people jump.

"Yo, Wes! When do you think you'll be done over there?" he asked and the two couples sitting next to each other broke apart with a start.

"What are you still doing here, man? Weren't you supposed to drive with Jeff?" the Asian boy asked, obviously not happy about being disturbed.

"Yes, but he forgot me. Again" he added as an afterthought in the direction of his phone. The Asian boy sighed.

"Well, I don't know how long it'll take… An hour… two?" he said and turned back to his girlfriend. The Warbler held the phone back to his ear.

"You heard it, man. Either you come back and get me, or I'm going to stay here overnight. I'm tired and am not looking forward to watching Wes and David kissing their girlfriends two more hours" he exclaimed. He listened to his friend on the other end, but what he heard obviously didn't suit him.

"Seriously? You're honestly going to keep me hanging here? You're such an ass, really. Don't talk to me when I come home… if I come home at all. And keep your hands of both my Redvines and the Xbox!" he exclaimed and closed his phone with a snap.

"I'm sorry about that, I know it's rude to take phone calls during conversations, but I just had to tell him what an idiot he is. He just told me to have fun watching those two" he said and pointed behind him, supposedly at the couples. Rachel smiled. She could understand how he felt. Friends were mean sometimes.

"Really, it's okay. Sometimes you just need to state your opinion" she said and the boy grinned. He glanced at his watch and sighed.

"Well, it seems like I won't get much sleep tonight. It's already nine. Really, you don't have to sit with me here. Your dads will worry if you're not home soon" he said. It was nice of him to be so considerate, but not necessary. But he was right. Her curfew was at ten.

"Maybe you're right… My dads worry very easily" Rachel said and made to grab her wallet, but the boy held up his hand to stop her.

"No, it's okay, I got it. My mother would kill me if she knew that I sat with a girl and didn't pay. Get home safely, then, okay?" he said and leaned back further in his seat. Rachel smiled at the boy. He really was nice. Very different from all the other boys she had met before.

"That's very nice of you. And I will drive carefully, don't worry. Don't bore yourself too much waiting!" she said. She slipped on her coat and grabbed her purse, waved at the boy in good bye and made her way out of the restaurant. Rachel had just reached her car when she began to feel guilty. Here she was, able to go home and into bed in less than fifteen minutes, and there was he, waiting on his own to get home, when ever that would be.

'No, I cannot do that!' she said to herself and turned to walk back into the establishment. When she arrived at their table, the boy had his eyes closed, probably trying to get some sleep before going home.

"You know, I have to be at home at ten. It's now a little past nine. To go to Westerville and back will take forty minutes. Grab your coat, I'm going to give you a ride home!" she announced and the boy opened his eyes with a start.

"Wh-what?" he asked, dumbfounded. Rachel rolled her eyes, as was her way.

"You heard me. I can't possibly let you stay here for who knows how long, while I sit in my very cozy room and am able to go to bed. So I'll drive you home. It's not a big deal, you paid for the food!" she repeated herself and held out the coat that was draped over the back of the booth to him. "Come on, up!" The boy didn't really know what to do, but grabbed the jacket and put it on.

"Thanks, I guess?" he said as they walked out of the restaurant, He threw his friends some words in parting, so they knew they didn't have to worry about him.

On the way to Westerville, they kept talking like they had at Breadstix. The conversation was flowing, as if they had known each other for many years already and not only a little more than an hour. Way sooner than they thought the boy gave directions on how to reach his school and home. In front of the large building, Rachel stopped and let him depart. Before closing the door, he turned back to look at her.

"It was very nice to meet you!" he said. Rachel smiled. Yes, he was right, it had been very nice.

"The pleasure was all mine. It made my evening turn out very well" she retorted and the boy gave her a thousand watts smile that could compete against her own.

"Maybe we'll see each other again, yeah? Regionals at the latest! I'll look out for you and your solo!" he said. He was just about to close the car's door, when he turned around again.

"Oh, yeah, I completely forgot. I'm Nick" he said and closed the door, leaving towards the large building.

On her way home Rachel thought about what he had said. It really would be nice to meet him again. He was just different from all the other boys. Different in a good way. He was… Nick.