I'm baaaaack! :) Fanfiction is addicting. Okay. So, this thought popped into my head before Episode 21, "Funeral", which is why it is 100% angst. If you don't like angst, then this story really isn't for you, and I'd rather that you not read it than leave mean comments about the fact that it's agnsty Finchel. Okay? I have written another part to go along with this, and if you guys enjoy the story I'll put it up. :)

Also, this story contains mini spoilers up to "Comeback".

I think that's all. It would mean the world to me if you reviewed. :)

Thanks for reading!

gleek1

She throws the necklace away on a college trip.

She, along with Kurt and Mercedes, had signed up for a hiking trip to Jasper, Canada. They're at the end of their hike when it happens.

Mercedes and Kurt are off discussing their latest fashion design project. She's standing on a wooden bridge, looking down at the clear glacier river. She tries to take the rare moment alone to reflect on her life so far, but as usual, her thoughts drift back to him.

Their first kiss.

Their first date.

Being dumped for Brittany and Santana.

Being serenaded with Jesse's Girl.

As each memory fills her mind, a tear falls, trailing down her cheek slowly and dropping into the river.

Their first "I love you".

Faithfully.

The amazing, golden summer between sophomore and junior year.

Being made fun of, by him of all people.

The constant fighting.

Finding out about his one night stand.

Cheating.

The break up.

Him getting back together with his bitch of an ex.

The star necklace.

The last tear disappears as quickly as the others, but for some reason the image of that necklace remains in her head. Her hands flit up to her neck, where the golden star rests and has since they won Nationals junior year.

Then, it had been a reminder of their love, their belief in each other. But now, all she felt was heartache and abandonment.

He had chosen Quinn over her. She had been second best, then and now. The necklace was supposed to symbolize their love, but now? Now all it stood for was the fact that he had moved on, away from her and into the arms of Quinn, while she was fighting to hold onto the past.

Unconsciously, her hand clenches around the necklace at the thought of his blonde-haired spouse.

And then suddenly, she yanks, the necklace snapping off with ease. She throws the necklace into the river, watching as it sinks to the bottom.

Kurt and Mercedes catch her just before she hits the ground, sobbing uncontrollably.

A week and a half later he calls her and leaves a message on her answering machine.

"Hey, it's uh… it's me, Finn. So, um, Quinn and I filed for divorce a couple of weeks ago and I- I just really need a friend right now. Could you meet me at the corner café you love, uh, tomorrow? Say, 7:00ish? And…. could… could you maybe wear the star necklace I gave you? For old times sake? So, uh, yah. Guess I'll see you tomorrow. Hopefully." Click.

After much deliberation (and consultation with Kurt), she decides to go. They were once best friends, after all. And he clearly needs somebody to lean on.

The next night, she dresses simply, throwing on a black skirt and her cast t-shirt from "Spring Awakening". She's at the café at exactly 7:00, and finds him waiting inside, two coffees on the table. When he sees her, his grin is so wide she swears it must hurt. As she draws closer, it only takes him a second to notice that the star necklace no longer hangs around her neck, and his face falls visibly. She chooses to ignore it and instead tries to initiate a conversation, though it proves difficult seeing as they haven't seen each other in a year and a half.

They end up with awkward small talk, talking a bit about what their lives have been like- how she's doing at NYU, how the football season is going. They do end up talking a bit about his divorce, but when she tries to find out the reason behind it, all he says is "too many memories", and then he turns the conversation elsewhere.

She had just asked for the bill when he says what she's sure has been on his mind all night.

"So, uh, you didn't wear the necklace."

She inhales sharply, and he looks at her, studying her.

"No," she says softly. "I didn't."

"Why not?"

She smiles a little at how blunt he is, but her smile soon fades- he won't like what she says next.

"I- I threw it away," she confesses softly.

"But- why?" He asks, sounding hurt.

"Because-"

"I gave that to you when we were 16, Rachel. 16. It symbolized our love! It showed how much I believed in you. And you just threw it away? Did I really mean that little to you, once you got to New York? Did all we shared just escape your memory?"

Her own temper flares up at his accusation. "No, Finn, it did not. In fact, that's why I threw it out. Because of the memories. You're right- it did symbolize our love; when we were 16. But as time wore on, and we drifted apart, it began to symbolize that you had left the past behind. It was a constant reminder that I wasn't good enough for you. You had moved on. And now? It symbolizes that I've moved on too."

With those final words, she flounces out of the coffee shop.