People always said that the summer after senior year was the most memorable. It was the summer of 'lasts'-the friends you'd spent your whole life making would leave just as you did, creating whole new worlds you'd never quite fit into the same way. Your best friend would become distant by Christmas, 12 years of friendship down the drain by the next summer as you brought home your new best friend, your new hobbies and interests, your new life.
Rachel felt completely overwhelmed heading into it. After spending a week with her dads in New York, sightseeing and enrolling in NYADA, coming back to Lima seemed off-putting. Seeing Finn around before his departure into the army was awful, and by the first weekend of July she was ready to take the first train back to the city without hesitation.
It was Quinn, of all people, who found her shopping at Sheets-N-Things for her new dorm room decor, that stopped her entirely.
"San's having a Fourth of July party," she told her, the blonde's smile warmer than Rachel was used to after years of hostility, but they were friends now. Real, honest friends and Rachel found herself smiling back and agreeing to show.
Without Kurt on her side, though, it wasn't as easy to walk into the party as she may have hoped. She knew, of course, that these were all her friends now, that every one of them had learned to look past some of her more negative qualities and found something redeeming in her to latch onto, and that Kurt was a crutch.
That didn't make it any easier to walk in on her own.
"The party can't possibly be in full swing if the star is still on this side of the fence," Blaine greeted easily as he walked up to her, kissing her cheek chastely and she smiled up at him, relieved by his presence. Out of all the members of New Directions, he'd been the only one on her side 100% of the time, never a cruel word sent her way, and she had never mentioned before how much that meant to her.
"I was just thinking," Rachel said breezily, linking her arm through his as he beamed back at her.
"Well, none of that," he chuckled, opening the front door and leading her towards where there was loud music and even louder attendees, Rachel pulling anxiously at the hem of her blouse as they stepped onto the back deck. "It's summer, Rach. It's time for fun."
"Fun," she repeated, nodding as Puck brought both of them a red cup filled with a crimson liquid that Rachel looked hesitant at before he yelled 'drink up, Berry!'.
"Fun," Blaine winked, downing his own cup before dragging her further into the mix with a soft giggle falling from her lips.
She settled herself on a pool chair, crossing her legs as the late afternoon sun beat down on them, her navy shorts making it even hotter as Santana handed her another cup in passing while Brittany ruffled her hair. The party was mostly made up of the members of New Directions that were around, minus Finn and Kurt who were on a family vacation before Finn left for Georgia, as well as a few cheerleaders and football players, and Rachel wasn't sure who to socialize with.
Fortunately for her, Blaine didn't seem to know what to do with himself either, and he sat down at the edge of the lounge chair, his hand warm on her ankle as he wrapped fingers around it absentmindedly, the action small and barely noticeable as Rachel watched Artie referee a game of water volleyball from the side of the pool.
She smiled as Quinn waved to her, blonde locks thrown into a messy bun as she moved to spike the ball for her team comprised of Mike, Tina and a football player whose name Rachel didn't know. "Are you excited for your senior year?" she asked Blaine, not having seen much of him since she came back from the city, and his small sigh told her all she needed to know.
"I'd be more excited if I was heading off to college," he answered truthfully, Rachel giving him a sympathetic nod, "but I guess."
"There's only a year before you'll join Kurt and me in the city. We'll have paved the way for you," she grinned, tipping her drink in his direction and he let out a small laugh, tapping his cup against hers in a cheers before taking another large sip.
"A year is a long time," he said after a minute, starring in the direction of the pool where Sam was lifting Sugar on his shoulders so she could serve the ball.
"We'll still want you there," she said quietly, leaning forward and squeezing his forearm lightly. "I know I will, it's going to be hard to take over Broadway without my Tony on my side."
"Don't worry, Maria," he grinned, leaning in towards her until their foreheads were leaning against one another and his breath was fanning her cheeks, her eyes closing at the light scent of soap and cologne and the vodka in their drinks as he enveloped her senses. "I'll be there soon enough for you."
"Good," she giggled, kissing his cheek before pulling away, her turn to pull him into crowds of people if only for the return to her senses, to keep her from getting sent into a haze that compromised only of a boy far too taken for her to begin to consider.
He seemed to sense the need for a momentary break as well, squeezing her hip before disappearing in the direction of Joe and leaving her on her own, working her way through throngs of football players until she found Puck once more manning the alcohol station.
Quinn found her not to long after, chatting with Puck about his plans for California, and even though she was soaking wet, Rachel returned a quick hug, finding herself laughing at Puck's innuendo about the two girls getting wet, the alcohol thrumming through her veins and allowing her to link an arm around the taller girls waist, much to both their surprise and acceptance.
"Having a good time?" Quinn asked her, voice low near her ear so Rachel could hear her over the music playing loudly throughout the yard, and she nodded as Quinn tugged on a strand of hair that had fallen out of her ponytail. "You should get in the pool," she suggested, a smile on her features, "before it gets dark and Azimio and Sam set off all the fireworks. They could use your help in volleyball, I'm sure," she laughed as they watched Sugar yell at the football player for messing up once more.
"I'd rather be on your team," Rachel smirked, Quinn's eyebrow quirking in response as she nodded.
"That could be arranged," she agreed, and Rachel found herself piling her clothes on top of a chair before jumping in the pool, Tina and Sugar cheering as Mike and Sam whistled jokingly, a flush covering her features as she adjusted the ties on her red bikini.
"If they get Berry, we need one more," Mercedes demanded, Sam nodding in agreement as Rachel jumped up and down in the pool to keep herself warm.
"I'll join," Blaine offered, sliding into the pool and Rachel laughed as Sugar cheered, Quinn shaking her head as she moved to start the next game.
iFun/i wasn't so hard to accomplish, she realized as she splashed around with her friends, Brittany and Santana cheering them all on from the sidelines as they tossed a volleyball back and forth over the net. It was easy, really, with Mike lifting her over his shoulders as she won them the game, Quinn hugging her before the two stepped out of the pool, Blaine giving her wide puppy eyes as she sat down on the edge of it and handed him a fresh drink.
It was even easy as Santana handed her a towel to wrap around herself, Blaine rubbing his hands up and down her arms to warm her up as she smiled up at him, a little tipsy but in control of herself enough to know that alcohol made both of them flirtier than normal, far more touchy than they already were, and even if she wasn't sure it was the best idea to follow him to a blanket in the grass of Santana's large backyard, she did so anyways.
She left her tank off, pulling her shorts on before sitting in between his legs and leaning back against his chest, and it was relaxing, sitting there with his arms wrapped around her midsection as Sam, Azimio and Puck attempted to organize the fireworks they had somehow gathered illegally. "I'm sorry you couldn't have Kurt here tonight," she said quietly after a few moments, Blaine shrugging behind her and she couldn't see the action, but could feel his shoulders moving up and down while he held onto her.
"I'll live," Blaine replied, twirling a strand of hair around his fingers before pushing it over her shoulder, Rachel watching as a droplet of water fell on her abdomen and slid down her body from the action. "It's something I'll have to get used to, after all."
"Still, it's the fourth of July," Rachel argued, turning her head to look at him, Blaine's eyes focused on the group enlarging itself by the fireworks as Mike and Joe joined in to help before they could start setting them off.
"And?" he asked, a small lift in the corner of his mouth as he fought off a smile, and Rachel sighed quietly in exasperation.
"It's romantic," she explained, Blaine raising an eyebrow as he turned his face to look at her, clearly amused. "The fireworks, the blanket…"
"Puck yelling about someone jerking off in the bathroom…" Blaine offered with a wry grin, and Rachel rolled her eyes even as she smirked in response.
"Finn and I went to the park last year, for the town fireworks. We didn't kiss, though. We made the mistake of bringing Puck and Lauren with us, and they were in the process of breaking up for good at the time, and Finn was too worried Lauren was going to start wrestling the both of them or something."
"Romance," Blaine joked, squeezing her side a little and she laughed in response, shaking her head.
"I'm not the one with a boyfriend," she reminded him, and he nodded, placing a small kiss on the side of her head.
"Well then, maybe next summer you'll get your romantic fourth of July," he said kindly as a firework shot off, bright red lighting the sky as the group cheered and Mike jumped up in the air in celebration before Sam set off another one.
It wasn't as exciting as the town show, not nearly as professional but Rachel watched with her head on her knees and Blaine's hands on her hips and his own head on her shoulder, she knew it was a moment she'd remember forever. One of the tiny summer memories that would almost fade, the color of her shorts lost and the wording of Sugar and Brittany's cheer disappearing, but the simple feel of contentment and happiness that washed over her and the smile Quinn sent in her direction as Blaine's hand squeezed her hip lightly-that she'd never forget.