A/N: Most of you may know that this story has been posted before. I took it, and all of my other stories, down when I decided to go on a hiatus. However, at the encouragement of a few readers and friends, I'm reuploading this again. For those of you who still has my name on your alert list, I apologize in advance for the spamming that's about to happen.
She's prone to crack. Not that anybody notices. She tries and tries and tries, but her personality just always gets the better of her. She frowns at the mirror when she catches the blue stain near her collarbone, courtesy of Thomas Bronson from the hockey team. God, even the freshmen are slushing her now. Her frown turns into an expression of steely determination.
You're Rachel Berry. You're loud, annoying. You say what's on your mind all the time regardless of what people think. Your nose is the size of a golfball but you love it to death.
Really, it shouldn't hurt this much that nobody likes her.
"It's lonely at the top, remember?" she says out loud to her reflection, her voice confident. "People just don't understand things that are different. They're all threatened by you because you're going to be somebody. You're going to be bigger than anybody else in Lima, Ohio. The big lights are waiting for you, Rachel. And you're going to make it. So who cares about that slushie today? Who cares about man-hands or RuPauls or pornographic pictures on the toilet wall? These people are losers and you're better off alone anyways. You don't need a friend. You've got your talent and you've got destiny on your side." She forces herself to smile her best look-out world! smile that she could muster.
"I like you."
Her smile falters.
Even when he isn't around he ruins her act.