A/N- Before I start off, thank you so much for the reviews! I'm glad you guys are liking the first chapter so much, and really hope you stick with me (:


Disclaimer- I own nothing, unfortunately :P

Finns POV

The next few days passed by without too much drama, which I was more than thankful for. Rachel and I had come to a new point in our friendship, but things were still a little rocky. For the first couple of days after the whole egging incident, she simply wasn't the same. Her hand never shot up to answer questions in class, she stopped trying to push people to do their best in Glee, passed up opportunities to practice in the auditorium with Tina, and even stopped putting gold stars next to her name; that was the red flag for me. I remember the exact moment I realized that this went deeper than any of us had thought. It was in Spanish, right after our final quiz of the year. Rachel sat two seats behind me, and as we were passing our papers up I noticed it; her name written at the top of the paper in her perfect hand writing with no gold star next to it. Tossing her a curious glance, I passed the stack of papers to Mr. Schuster. I could tell instantly that he noticed it too when he was skimming through them, as he briefly looked up at her with the same confused expression. No gold star.

To anyone else, this would seem like no big deal. But as it happens, Rachel Berry is clearly not just another person, never just another face in the crowd. Where ever her name was, a gold star would follow it. She had explained to me on more than one occasion that it was a metaphor for the star she would eventually become, but it wasn't until the stars stopped that I realized something wasn't right. Had she given up on her ambition, or had she simply grown out of the gold stars? When I was able to catch up with Puck the next day, I pointed out all the things that seemed to be lacking with her lately; he simply brushed it off as Rachel still being embarrassed by the whole egg fiasco. Then I brought up the stars. Something in him clicked then, because the same confused look that was once etched across mine and Mr. Schue's faces mirrored onto Pucks.

"You said you had a class with her last year, dude. Has she ever not put a star next to her name?" I asked retorically as we walked to class. That seemed to end the conversation, but I knew Puck wouldn't let it die with that; simply without doing anything. So it didn't surprise me when my phone went off at midnight that same night, and he told me to meet him a few blocks from Jesses house. As the night went on, we managed to slash one of his tires without making it too obvious, along with keying the back side of it. Needless to say, I went to sleep with a smile on my face that night. Word spread around school within the next few days, and it was obvious when it had reached Rachel; she seemed to be holding back a smirk whenever anyone passing by in the halls talked about it.

"Yeah, apparently someone completely scratched up the back and there was a huge whole in one of the tires. Nobody has any idea who did it though, so I'm guessing the kid must have a lot of enemies" I recognized the voice as someone from my English class as they passed by with another student, still talking about mine and Pucks handy work.

"I have a pretty good guess as to who it was" Rachel murmured quietly as she put the last of her books in her locker before closing it and turning to look at me with a small smile. "Thank you, by the way. I dont approve of how you went about getting your revenge, but I still appreciate the concern." Her voice is lower, as she is trying not give it away that it was us who did the dirty deed. It isn't much, but its enough to cause my heart to give an unsteady thump against my rib cage; I'm almost surprised she couldn't hear it.

"Anytime, Berry" The words aren't mine, though I was about to say something in return when Puck came up and started walking towards the Choir room with us. A soft laugh passed through her lips, and the sound is like music to my ears. When did I become such a girl? I thought to myself as we continued to walk together. There was still a sadness in her eyes when she smiled, but that would fade with time. All too soon, we got to the Choir room, and some of them were still giving Rachel that sympathetic, worried look she had gotten so many times before. Ignoring them, we both took our seats as Mr. Schuester started class. A part of me was still expecting Rachel's hand to shoot up and her voice to fill the room as she explained her ideas for regionals; that part of me was let down.

Things continued this way for another few days until after the final bell rang out on Friday. I was headed towards my locker when I heard it; that familiar voice. Somewhere close by, the voice I'd been waiting for over a week to hear was finally singing again. Following where the sound was coming from, I soon found myself just outside the auditorium doors. Opening them as quietly as I possibly could, I slipped inside and listened as she belted out the lyrics.

I'd put myself first, and make the rules as I go.

Cause I know that she'd be faithful,

waitin' for me to come home

To come home..

If I were a boy, I think I could understand

how it feels to love a girl.

I swear I'd be a better man.

I'd listen to her, cause I know how it hurts...

The words continue to flow through the huge room, and I simply stand out of sight and listen to the sound of her voice. Rachel told me once that singing was one thing that always seemed to help her when something was wrong, it made her stronger somehow. I hadn't realized it until just then, but she was right; when she sang, it almost sounded as if she was putting more force behind each word that escaped her. She was dealing with what had happened with St. Jackass on her own terms, the only way she knew how. All too soon, the song ended and her voice drifted out with the music. I glanced out to the stage from my hiding spot to find her facing the other way, and quickly made my escape. Just as I reached my locker, I spotted her through the corner of my eye turning the corner. Looking over at her completely, I faked a surprised expression.

"Hey, what are you doing here? I thought you would have been long gone by now." The hallway was almost completely deserted at this point, with the exception of the two of us and a few freshman down the hall headed towards the door.

"Just had something to do before I left for the weekend." I looked back into my locker when she said this, both to put my books back and to hide the smirk that was threatening to break across my face. "What about you? Don't you and Noah live for the weekends?"

I shrugged before answering, closing my locker while glancing over at her once again. "I just got a little distracted by something and lost track of time" I said simply. After quickly looking over my shoulder, I turned my attention back to her with a small smile. "You need a lift home?"

"Thanks for the offer, but not today. I have to help dad and daddy with a few things, and if I'm being honest, time always seems to get away from us when me and you hang out" Her tone was light and somewhat playful as she gave me a final smile before sauntering past me towards the door.

"Oh, and Rachel," I called out as she reached for the handle. She turned halfway to look at me with a curious expression, so I simply smiled before continuing. "You sounded great in the auditorium just now" The blush that rose to her cheeks was impossible to miss, as was the smile that she tried biting back.

"See you Monday, Finn" And with that, she was gone, and I was left standing there with a smile on my face and the knowledge that Rachel Berry was recovering.


A/N- What did you think? I know its definitely not as good as the first chapter, but it will keep getting better soon enough. I love hearing what you guys think, so keep reviewing! (: Any ideas you have for the story that you want to see, let me know and I'll do my best to make it happen! If you want some outtakes from this story, let me know and I'll be happy to post them as well. If there is any particular missing scene you want written, leave a review with where it left off or whatever and I'll do my best to post it. (It doesn't have to be for Finn and Rachel, it could be for anybody.) Reviews are awesome!