Shelby tapped her pencil against her desk, her eyes trained on the minute hand of the clock hanging on her office wall. Only three minutes until rehearsal started. She could hear some of the students already gathering in the auditorium, laughter and excited voices grating on her ears. Her long dark hair spilled over her shoulders as she bowed her head and took a deep breath before rising from her chair and striding into the auditorium, her mouth set in a thin line.
"All of you, get on stage in a line," she bellowed, snapping a directing arm towards the expansive stage that glowed under the brilliant lights. Crossing her arms across her chest, she studied them as they scurried to obey her command, some of the newer members squinting against the stage lights. "Now, I don't want to hear any excuses or explanations. You are going to listen. I just received a call from New Directions informing me that some of you egged Rachel Berry."
"They slashed our tires!" a senior girl walked forward, her hip cocked to one side. "We had to do something."
"Get back in line," Shelby snarled in response. "If I recall correctly, I informed all of you that under no circumstances were you to retaliate to their prank because they are paying to repair the damage they caused. So, not only have you assaulted a young girl who has done nothing to any of you, but you also disobeyed the instructions I gave, showing that you have no respect for me."
"She wasn't completely innocent," a senior boy muttered.
"Excuse me?" Shelby fixed a withering glare on him, but he met her gaze with steely defiance.
"She hurt Jesse. We were only protecting our own."
"Jesse's love life should not have such an impact on the team," Shelby stated crisply. She pressed her fingers to the sides of her temple, the familiar throb of a migraine emerging. "I'm not going to pretend that I don't know who was responsible for this. Seniors, please step off the stage. You will forfeit your solos and positions as a part of Vocal Adrenaline until further notice."
"But, what about Regionals?" Jesse jumped off the stage and headed in her direction. "You'll lose without us."
Shelby simply shook her head and headed back to her office. "You'll find that there are worse things in life than simply losing a competition, Jesse St. James. Seniors, I want you out of here in the next five minutes. Come back tomorrow prepared to apologize and audition to re-enter Vocal Adrenaline."
She didn't look behind her to make sure they were all following her orders; the rushed whispering and panicked packing of bags reassured her that they still understood that she meant what she said.
Shelby watched New Directions through the door's window, her hand resting on the doorknob. She had been standing there for the past ten minutes, and it was a testament to their dedication and focus that no one had noticed her yet. She slowly opened the door, knocking as she entered. The music immediately stopped as all the students and Will looked at her as she fidgeted.
"I just wanted to come and say…" she began in a soft voice, but the tall, darker colored boy hovering near what looked to be a very pregnant blonde cut her off.
"We didn't do anything to you losers, so you can just clear on out of here," he told her, his eyes blazing.
"I came here to apologize for what happened," Shelby snapped. She paused, taking a deep breath before locking eyes with Rachel. "Rachel, can I talk with you?"
Rachel hesitated as she bit her lip, and the rest of the students huddled around her protectively, all glaring in Shelby's direction. Looking at Will in desperation, Shelby fought against the unbidden tears prickling the corners of her eyes.
"Rachel?" Her voice cracked. She cleared her throat. "Please, it won't take very long."
She didn't miss the look that passed between her daughter and the tall, dopey-looking boy standing next to her whom she could only assume was the male lead. She waited as Rachel walked to her and continued on into the hallway.
"What do you need to say?" Rachel asked as soon as Shelby had joined her.
Shelby gazed at the young girl as she pursed her lips. "I wanted to make sure you're okay after what happened."
"You mean after your kids egged me in the parking lot?" The hard edge in Rachel's voice wasn't completely unexpected, but Shelby still found herself at a loss for words.
"You have to know that I had no idea they were going to do that to you," Shelby said in a quiet voice, her eyes trained on the floor. "Sending them to intimidate all of you is one thing, but I didn't even encourage them to ransack your choir room with toilet paper."
Rachel rolled her eyes. "You didn't have to send them at all."
"In a way, I feel sort of responsible for all of this," Shelby replied, a wry smile on her face. "After all, I was the one who sent Jesse to you to begin with."
Rachel snapped her head up. "What?"
"To befriend you only." The words fell out of her mouth before she could stop them. "He tends to be the most reliable out of my group. I didn't want for things to turn out like this. He was never supposed to leave Vocal Adrenaline, and even though I wasn't originally pleased that he decided to ignore my instructions and pursue you romantically, I didn't want for the two of you to break up."
"I loved him," Rachel whispered, tears welling up in her deep brown eyes. "I loved him, and he walked out on me."
Rachel sobbed, her tears spilling down her cheeks, and Shelby acted on instinct, her arms wrapping around Rachel and pulling her close. It was odd that they fit together so well, Rachel's head resting right underneath Shelby's chin. Shelby rubbed Rachel's back and rocked her gently, back and forth, the faint scent of mango from Rachel's shampoo tickling Shelby's nose. She could feel Rachel's heartbeat against her chest, the minutes sliding away, the rightness of everything settling over them.
Rachel stepped back, sniffling and wiping the salty water from her face. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to just start crying."
"You don't have to apologize," Shelby replied, tucking Rachel's hair behind her delicate ears and away from her young face. "I should probably go."
Rachel nodded her head and started back into the choir room; as she opened the door, she turned back, shyly meeting Shelby's inquiring gaze.
"I'm glad you came," Rachel told her, giving her a small smile before disappearing through the doorway.
Shelby waited for a moment, resting her hand against the cool wall as she gained her bearings; it didn't take long, and she started off down the hall with her purposeful stride, her heels clicking against the tiled floor.