A.N: So this is my first ever time writing... Criticism is extremely appreciated. I also have very little motivation when it comes to this, so reviews would be helpful! I hope you enjoy it :)
Books and Boards
Chapter 1
10 am was when Rachel unlocked The Book Nook on a warm, Tuesday morning in July. The door usually got caught on a bump in the uneven, New York sidewalk. However, today Rachel remembered to lift the door a little so that it glided smoothly open. Proud of herself for lifting such a heavy door with her petite (fun sized as she would insist) frame, Rachel sat down behind the counter and sipped on her coffee from the place next door.
It was the summer after her freshman year at NYADA and there was no way in hell Rachel wanted to go back to Lima, Ohio. If her dads wanted to see her that badly, they could come up to the city. She was happily living in an apartment with one other roommate. Her roommate wasn't even home that often because they were in a very committed relationship and often spent time at their girlfriend's house.
Rachel wasn't working in a bookstore because of her interest in great literature. Although, she enjoyed reading and was cultured in the classics, thanks to her dads and high school. The real reason she worked at The Book Nook wasn't for the books, but more so for the fact that it was only a block from her apartment and she was allowed to pick the music that played through the store. Entertaining herself somedays was tough in the summer so she danced in the shop for hours a day and belted RENT whenever she felt like it. Customers didn't usually mind and were typically amused, only glancing up from reading in the comfy chairs near the windows if she hit an impressive high note.
She stayed at the shop until 7 that evening, only leaving the store for a jaunt to the sandwich shop across the street for her lunch. She left a boy named Charles in charge of the store for the ten minutes she was out. He was 11, kind of scrawny with glasses and quite shy. He basically lived at the shop in the summer, and his best friends were the books he surrounded himself with. He had a small crush on Rachel and always did his best to help customers in those ten minutes each day.
After those 9 monotonous hours of work, Rachel headed home. When Rachel got home she went straight to the kitchen because she was starving. One pesto, tomato, and lettuce sandwich could just not fill a person for six hours. Rachel wrote on a sticky note to remind herself to pick up some carrots later for snacking at work.
Rachel's apartment was set up so that when you get in the door there's a small hallway with a coat closet to the left and the kitchen is on the right. The kitchen has a bar that opens up into the living room and two bedrooms on either side of the living room. Rachel's room was on the right and her roommate's was on the left.
"Hey Hobbit! You're home!" Said a voice from the living room.
"I resent that, Satana." Rachel replied, walking out of the kitchen and sitting on the couch next to her friend. Santana and Rachel had known each other since kindergarten but didn't become actual friends until Rachel got Santana through the 'Gay Panic of Junior year'. Before that Santana was ruthless in her verbal bullying of Rachel because as head cheerleader, she was forced to put the losers in their place by a Ms. Sue Sylvester. "No Brittany tonight?" Rachel asked, curious of the bubbly blonde's whereabouts.
"Nah, she went out with some of her dance buddies for drinks after work. She might come over tonight though because she didn't do her dishes yesterday and I don't want a hungover Brit-Brit to have to do chores tomorrow." Santana said. Rachel liked Brittany, she was always nice, and great company. She was also amazing when Santana got angry at Rachel for skipping out on chores. 'Brittana', as Rachel called the couple in her head, were adorable to her. They just worked well together and rarely fought. Santana would always apologize within an hour and Brittany was almost never in the wrong. When she was though, usually Rachel had to step in and mediate.
The night was pretty typical for the two roommates after that, they watched a movie until 11 and then decided to head to their beds. Rachel made an exception in her strict sleep schedule so Santana wouldn't be focused on waiting for Brittany. Rachel, being exhausted from singing and standing all day, fell asleep almost immediately.
She woke up the next morning in true Rachel Berry fashion feeling refreshed and ready for the day. After her morning workout on the elliptical, she promptly showered and got dressed. Surprisingly, Santana was already dancing around the kitchen waving a spatula and cooking some omelettes.
"Sorry hobbit, these are for my girl and me. I ain't cookin' none of that vegan shit before noon, so you're on your own for breakfast chica." Santana said. She was the real chef of the house, and occasionally cooked vegan meals for Rachel if she was in a good mood. Santana worked at a diner as one of the chefs. It worked out well because she loved cooking and hated people, and from the kitchen she had the right to abuse the waiting staff as much as she wanted.
"That's okay Santana, I'm not too hungry yet. I'll probably get something at the grocery store to snack on while I'm at work." Rachel replied. She really wanted carrots for the day so why not go shopping a bit before heading to work? Seeing that it was still too early to head out, Rachel sat down on the couch and to get caught up on the latest celebrity scandals.
Brittany came out of Santana's room around eight forty-five, twirled, and sat down next to Rachel.
"Just wanted to hug you before you go off to work! San said you were going to the store this morning, can you please pick up some gummy bears because I ran out." She said quietly. Brittany was always a bit timid when she was hungover.
"Aww that's nice of you Brit! And of course I will." Rachel replied. She quickly got up to hug Brittany and then left the apartment.
The grocery store was relatively empty, so Rachel was in and out of there quickly. As she walked out the door she looked down at her phone to see how she was doing on time and nearly got ran over by someone on a longboard. HOLY SHIT AM I STILL ALIVE? She asked herself in her head. The only other time she had seen her life flash before her very eyes like that was in seventh grade when Rachel tried ice skating and slammed into the wall of the rink. From then on she decided to stay away from any sports that require sliding of any kind to preserve her beautiful nose.
"Sorry!" The stranger called back. The air rushed from Rachel's lungs as she got a good look at the skater. The stranger was a woman who looked about Rachel's age. She had short blonde hair that reached her chin. She was wearing a gray beanie,a red lumberjack style flannel shirt, with white short-shorts, and black vans. Ohmygod that girl was gorgeous, Rachel thought. But she ALMOST KILLED ME! The nerve of people these days, thinking they own the sidewalk. Learn to share the pavement honey! Oh my lord she probably runs into people all the time. I can't believe she almost hit me. My heart is racing from such a near death experience and definitely not because she was pretty.
Rachel thought of the insensitive blonde girl through most of work. After her lunch break she came back into the shop to find the very same blonde girl sitting in a chair engrossed in a book near the back of the shop. "Charles!" Rachel called the boy over, "Who's that?" She pointed to the blonde. "I'm not sure, but she asked me to help her find the Tolkien section. She muttered something about a bet with her friend…" The young boy responded. "I love Lord of the Rings! Aragorn is so cool!" As Charles spoke of his love for Aragorn, Rachel wasn't paying attention. Wow she's a nerd. She's a gorgeous, dorky, badass, skater girl… That's pretty hot.