Disclaimer: I am merely borrowing some of the Glee characters to play around with, without any intention of profiting from it. Let my shenanigans begin!

Rachel Berry was exhausted from all the drama that her presence apparently spurred on every single day of the week. As much as she loved to sing, as much as she once thought that she had somewhere she could finally belong, she had to realize that she felt even more lonely, than before she joined the Glee club.

The short girl thought that her team mates were hypocrites, even Mr. Schuester.

Their teacher was always going on about how they were supposed to be family, and that they should always stick together, because they were all they had in this school, yet he calmly stood by watching as she was alienated by her so called 'family', doing absolutely nothing to stop the bullying that she was a victim of.

The daily slushie attacks were something she was used to by now, and it barely bothered her anymore. She woke up every day, donned her ridiculous clothes, and packed a few extra shirts and cardigans, knowing that a few colourful icy showers were inevitable to her day.

Rachel was teased for her lack of style, and it never ceased to make her feel exasperated, rather than insulted, as were the morons of McKinley High honestly expecting her to wear fashionable outfits, just so that they could be ruined an hour later, when colourful ice trickled down from her hair onto her clothes? That was hardly ideal.

Quality clothes were expensive, and even the second-hand attire that she was wearing cost her money. As illogical as it was, she was furious that her tormentors did not think about the monetary consequences of what they were doing.

Strangely enough she was able to handle that aspect of her life. What really got to her was all the name-calling, and the mocking, derisive laughter at her expense by the very people she was supposed to feel safe and protected with. The Glee kids were supposed to be her support system in the school. Wasn't that the idea of their team-building exercises?

Miss Berry was painfully aware that she had a difficult personality. She was bossy, opinionated, and had a slight superiority complex when it came to her singing talent, but that all came with her knowing exactly what she wanted to achieve in her life. She had one singular goal hovering in the forefront of her mind, and that was to make it to Broadway, and be the star she was born to be.

These traits of hers were the bane of her high school existence. Everyone thought of her as an annoying, obnoxious nuisance, and no one had any problems with expressing what they really thought about her, be it behind her back, or taunting her right in front of her face.

'Man-hands.'

'RuPaul.'

'Treasure Trail.'

'Hobbit.'

'Dwarf.'

'Midget.'

Some of the words they used to disgrace her with were less hurtful than others, but after a while she struggled to differentiate between them. What was the point? Just because different people had different coating for their jibes, did not mean their intent was not the same. They all wanted to humiliate her, and make her feel worthless.

Rachel did not understand the need for such childish aggression, but she was powerless to do anything about it, when even the school's faculty did not seem to care about the heavy-handed bullying going down in the hallways. It would be so easy to lock away the slushie machines, but it was like they sanctioned the actions of the cheerleaders and jocks, without a care for student safety.

She knew that she appeared selfish, self-assured and sometimes even somewhat shrewd, but those masks were part of her coping mechanism with being the odd one out of her social circles. All the insults, and careless distasteful words aimed at her were slowly eating away at her well-constructed walls, and the Jewish girl knew that she was really close to crumbling, and falling completely apart, and she refused to give anyone the satisfaction of knowing they finally succeeded in breaking her.

The flickering thought of her quitting Glee became harder and harder to resist as the days, weeks, and months passed her by, and by the time the summer holidays were over, her resolve was unwavering, and the only obstacle in her way was finding a replacement to fill her spot.

As much as she wanted to leave the awkward environment behind her, she did not want to be accused of hindering their chances at the singing competitions by not having enough members to qualify. She knew a little too well how easy it was for her fellow club members to blame something on her. Actually, almost every mistake and obstacle happened to somehow be her fault, thus she had to be careful, and pull her plan off with a bit of tact.

Her heart was alight with a glimmer of hope, when she noticed a small Asian girl watching her and the New Directions perform 'Empire State of Mind' in the courtyard to hopefully gather some new members for their club. Both the kids and their advisor were oblivious to the fact that out of everyone, Rachel was the most determined to attract at least one person to the cause.

Later in the day, when she was putting up sign-up sheets for Glee, she encountered the same girl, and when she heard her sing the first few words to 'Telephone', she spun around her heel so fast, that she got slightly dizzy. She marveled at the clarity and soul of the girl's beautiful voice, as she followed the melody and carried the tune so effortlessly, that Miss Berry had to admit to herself, that she felt somewhat threatened by the other girl's talent.

The self-acclaimed Diva could not help, but join her in singing the song, her eyes sparkling both with excitement, and the challenge to keep up with this mysterious girl, whom she hadn't seen before today. Their voices blended together seamlessly as they sang to each other, until Sue Sylvester just had to yell at them to shut up, grumbling about how she could not even have some peaceful minutes to herself to do her business, without irritating vocal exercises to interrupt her.

The girls shared a glance, and Rachel shook her head exasperatedly. She was more than used to Coach Slyvester's attitude by now, but the new student seemed to be caught off guard.

"Don't mind her..." She spoke softly. "Coach Sylvester is certainly a character. She has an insult for everyone, but she actually cares about some of her students. I refuse to believe that she is an all around evil dictator crazy for power-reigning the school, even though that is what her actions proclaim." She explained in long-winded words, and continued without a pause. "My name is Rachel Berry by the way. I haven't seen you around before today, is this your first day? Do you need any help getting around the school?"

"Do you always talk so much under one single breath?" The girl asked incredulously.

"Yes, I do have the tendency to talk a lot." She admitted. "My Daddies always tell me to slow down, and take a breath, as they stare at me, shaking their heads simultaneously, while I go on about the subject matter at hand. I believe it is important to always be prepared with the appropriate vocabulary to draw from. Sometimes I sit around in my room, reading a dictionary to deepen my knowledge of words, as words are important to understand any song we sing, not to mention the inevitable act of songwriting." Rachel disclosed.

The girl with the black framed glasses could not help herself, as her amusement bubbled forth in a light-hearted chuckle. "You are a very intense person." She hummed.

Rachel's cheeks heated up with her embarrassment. "I am sorry if you find my personality annoying, or obnoxious, most of the school does." She mumbled quietly, staring at her feet.

She frowned. "You are making me doubt my decision to come here as part of our exchange student program. This place is clearly very judgmental, if you react to my statement with such shame." She observed.

"I apologize for casting a shadow on your experience." The Diva sighed, and paused in thought, her eyes brightening as an idea popped into her mind. "I am certain you will like it around here, you just have to make sure to fall in with the right crowd. I do not claim to know how your previous school's hierarchy works, but the cheerleaders and jocks rule the school around here, and if they deem you a loser, you are pretty much fair game for bullying. I was going to suggest that you audition for Glee club, as my replacement, but associating with the likes of me would hinder your stay, and I would not want that to happen to you."

The Asian girl stared at Rachel with wide eyes, as she described the status quo, oddly touched at her words of warning. "I do not think that a bunch of bullies would be the right group of people to associate myself with, no matter how popular they are." She smiled. "Thank you for being so thoughtful though. You mentioned something about Glee?"

The Jewish girl's face was lit up with another bright smile. She was starting to like this girl, and hoped that they could eventually establish a friendship, as she could really use a friend. "Yes. A group of us get together and sing an assortment of songs. Mr. Schuester, our advisor, picks a different theme for us every week, and we all choose something to sing. We also compete in Show Choir competitions." She explained with a wistful voice.

"That sounds wonderful, and it also sounds like something you really enjoy. Why exactly do you want to quit?" She asked curiously, and was taken aback by the flash of guarded hurt in the slightly taller girl's eyes.

Rachel winced at the question, and lamented whether she should be honest, or simply gloss over it. She did not want to see pity in the girl's dark eyes, so her answer was purposefully vague. "I wish to focus on other things this year, besides I believe that your voice would be a brilliant addition to the team."

The girl blushed at the compliment. "Thank you. Oh, we have gotten so lost in your carefully crafted word-maze, that I totally forgot to introduce myself. My name is Sunshine Corazon, and I am from the Philippines."

"It's been a pleasure to meet you, Sunshine." Rachel smiled warmly. "You mentioned that you are an exchange student?"

"Likewise." Miss Corazon nodded her head. "Yes, I am only here for a year, but my family is looking into opportunities to extend that." She confided in her.

"If you and your family need any assistance, just let me know. My Daddies are rather well connected around here, and they are always glad to help."

"Thank you." Sunshine grinned as the warning bell for the next class rang out in the halls, and the girls got ready to part ways. "Rachel?" She called after the petite girl. "For the record, I just want to say that you seem like a lovely person, and your bullies can go and eat sand, because they are out of their freaking minds!"

Rachel's eyes misted over with such raw emotion, that Sunshine's breath hitched in her throat as a short brunette missile crashed against her in a needy hug. "Thank you for saying that." She whispered. "Think about Glee, and if you decide to try out, auditions are in the afternoon in the Auditorium." She smiled and ran off to her Spanish class.

Sunshine stared at Rachel Berry's retreating back, before she shook herself out of her daze, and wandered off to her Geometry class, closely following the map she received at the Admissions Office. She definitely had a lot to think about.

A/N: I know that Glee is not exactly my forte when it comes to writing fanfiction, as I am a firm Harry Potter enthusiast, but this plot of mine just wouldn't leave me alone.

The premise is that Rachel grows tired of the bullying that her fellow Glee club members dish out at her, and over the summer she decides to quit, but not without acquiring a replacement first. When she hears Sunshine Corazon's beautiful singing voice, she knows she found the right person for her team, thus she engages her in a conversation, and lets her know about the up-coming auditions. Sunshine will decide to give Glee a try, and auditions, which the whole club witnesses, and they are in awe at her talent. The next day Rachel doesn't go to Glee anymore, and they accuse her of being jealous of Sunshine's talent, and that she is simply throwing a hissy-fit. Corazon corrects their flawed thought process and lets them know Rachel was the person who told her to audition. Everyone is shocked... and that is how our story begins. :)

Thank you for reading this. I am not sure how often I will update, we will see.