Laugh It Up
Summary: The new weekly sitcom "New Directions" gets a new face named Rachel Berry and her fellow co-stars are willing to do anything to get rid of her, even if it means bringing in the big guns in the form of their co-star, Noah Puckerman, an infamous playboy on the set.
Disclaimer: I don't own Glee.
"Pilot"
"You are going to love me for the rest of your natural life," Emma Pillsbury said into her iphone was she hurried down the street towards her car.
"What are you talking about?" Rachel replied, fixing herself breakfast as the sun began to peek through her apartment window.
"I got you an audition to be on the new sitcom airing in the Fall, 'New Directions.'"
"Y-You're kidding me," Rachel said, almost dropping the milk in her hand. She looked out at her tiny apartment.
"As your favorite agent, would I lie to you? I am serious, just got finished with a meeting with the director, William Shuester and he has a good feeling about you. He said that he wants you to come to the auditions tomorrow. Now all you have to do is outshine the other girls," Emma said, unlocking her car and checking her watch.
"Have I told you how much I love you? This is the best opportunity; everyone knows that only the greats are on that show. I mean, it's just a sitcom, but it'll be a great step up from playing an extra," Rachel replied, running around her apartment to get ready.
"Well, don't forget that you love your agent and when you are free today, we'll get lunch. I have to go and wax my floor before I go to the rest of my meetings so I will call you later," Emma said and hung up as she started up her car and pulled out into the brilliant sunrise and LA traffic.
Rachel Berry's dream since she was four years old was to become a star. She was willing to work as hard as it took to get to stardom, even if it meant leaving her home and moving to LA with no money, no job, or real life experience. She often told her fathers in Lima that she was okay living in such a big place all by herself, but after three years, she realized she was not getting anywhere on her own. That was when she found Emma Pillsbury. Emma was a small-time agent who took on any job. She was the first agent to stars like Quinn Frabray and Finn Hudson. Well, that's what she claimed, but Rachel really didn't know for sure.
But Emma had gotten her first acting job she ever had, and that meant everything to Rachel. Since then Emma had only one other client who was a thirty-year-old married woman and so she focused most of her attention on getting Rachel in auditions. While she did well in the auditions, Rachel's tendency to be the diva really got in the way of her getting hired. "New Directions" was Emma's last really good chance before the beginning of shooting for the Fall seasons of shows for the networks. A brand new sitcom that included stars Quinn Frabray, Finn Hudson, and Noah Puckerman. The story was a simple one, an apartment is rented out to four different people after a misunderstanding and the group decides to live together while trying to get their own band off the ground. The comedy would be new, fresh and directed by Will Shuester, a well-known foreign films director now trying his hand at comedy. This was the perfect opportunity for Rachel to show off her true talent and be recognized.
She tapped her foot nervously as she looked at the numerous faces in the long white hall. The reason for these last minute auditions was because of the sudden drop of one of the actresses, Mercedes Jones, who ended up having to have back surgery. An up and coming pop singer, she was working on a music video and hurt her back. She would be in recovery throughout the entire shooting and so her spot was up for grabs. This was why there were almost fifty girls standing around with Rachel, reading lines to themselves and singing.
"N-N-Number f-f-f-fourt-teen p-p-please," a voice called, making Rachel look up. It was Tina C, an intern who was working on the set of the show and the one made to call the numbers. It was kind of dumb because she had that stutter and it was hard to hear anything. Rachel did not have to worry, however, she arrived an hour and a half before the call and was first to stand in the hall so she could hear her number easily. She was number nineteen and she thought about that every time a new number was called. A skinny blonde walked by her and followed the intern into the room.
A pair of large double doors down the long white hall opened and a group of people talking loudly entered. Ahead of the group was a single actor, texting on his phone while the people around him spoke. All of the women in the line, excluding Rachel, looked up to see him. It suddenly became a feeding frenzy as the girls started screaming and demanding the actor's autograph. He stopped and pulled off his sunglasses and gave them all an award-winning smile.
Rachel looked up only at the screaming and then resumed to look at her music. Nothing could distract her, including the actor that was just hitting Hollywood, Noah "Puck" Puckerman. While he was going to be co-staring in "New Directions" he was still just another person and Rachel did not have time with him. She needed to become a star before she worried about people who were already stars. While he was making his way down the long line of screaming fans, Tina came back to call the next number and Rachel counted the numbers, four more people and she would have her shot.
The group of people following Puck were his agent, his hairstylist and members of the paparazzi taking pictures and the screaming was driving Rachel crazy. She had far better things she could be doing than listening to this. That was the one downfall to becoming a star, she was going to have to fight off the press. Her need for being the star and center of attention was a little too strong against her growing hatred of the press. But she digressed as the next number was called and there were three to go. By the time that Puck had made it down to the girl standing next to her, Rachel was going to be called next.
"And you are?" Puck asked smoothly and the blonde bimbo smiled slyly.
"Karma," she said, and he flashed another award-winning smile. Tina appeared and before Puck even had the chance to look at Rachel, she ducked into the audition room. Thank god she got out of there, it was so loud! She followed Tina towards the large open room that would decide her fate.
Outside in the hall Puck watched the door slowly come to a close, the disappearance of Rachel taking his attention almost completely away. Never in his life had a woman avoided him, rather than throw herself at his feet. But he had no time to think of such trivial matters, he had to go and smooze the press.
Rachel didn't know what to say. She was standing in her kitchen, dumbfounded with the sound of Emma trying to get her attention back.
"Did you hear me? Hello? Rachel, I said you got the job! They loved you, and they want you to come to the press release party tonight to announce it. You'll meet everyone and by the end of the week you will be on the set!"
Rachel almost dropped the phone as she yelled out into the empty apartment and Emma had to wait almost a full five minutes before she got her attention again.
- This is a new fic brought to you by the ridiculously large amounts of views and positive response I got to my "10 Things I Hate About Glee" fic that I am going to pick up with another Puck/Rachel with this. Hope everyone likes it. Thanks for reading!
Invader Hog