Dreams last for so long

Even after you're gone

I know that you love me

And soon you will see

You were meant for me

And I was meant for you

"You Were Meant For Me"-Jewel

Rachel Berry wasn't the type to wallow. She didn't see much point in it. If there was something that she wanted, you could guarantee that Rachel would go after it.

For the first time in her sixteen years though, things weren't that simple.

She wanted Finn, desperately so. She'd had a crush on him since the first time she'd heard him sing. That crush had only deepened as she'd gotten to know him and she was sure that part of her heart would always be with Finn.

She figured if there were ever a time to wallow, this was it. But only for a little while. She had plans to make.

Rachel rifled through her sheet music, pausing when she came across "Don't Go Breaking My Heart." Had it really only been a few months since she and Finn had sang that song together in the choir room? It seemed like a lifetime ago now. They'd been so happy but unbeknownst to her at the time, the fuse had already been lit.

Finn had slept with Santana and lied about it.

She wasn't really upset that he'd slept with Santana; after all they hadn't been a couple at the time. Granted, the fact that it was Santana of all people stung but it was more so that he lied about it. She'd told him straight up that she hadn't slept with Jesse even though she'd come close but Finn had looked her in the eyes and lied.

To make matters worse, it seemed like everyone else in glee club had known as well. Rachel was far from stupid. She knew exactly what the rest of the group thought of her. Still, she thought they would have had the courtesy to tell her the truth.

Instead, she'd found out in front of everybody in the worst possible way. Santana's smirking face wasn't something she was likely to forget anytime soon.

Now, admittedly, turning to Noah for revenge definitely wasn't one of her brightest moments but she'd just been so hurt. Noah had been there and it just spiraled out of control. Thank goodness he'd stopped them before they went through with it. Otherwise…well, she didn't even want to think about it.

She had to stop thinking about the past though. It was time to focus on the future. She was going to win Finn back. It wouldn't be easy but he was worth it.

It would all be worth it in the end.

"Hey guys, listen up." Mr. Schuester called out, his voice loud and enthusiastic.

Almost immediately, the noise in the room began to die down. Whatever it was Mr. Schue wanted to tell them certainly had him excited.

"As you all know, Regionals is coming up."

He paused as a few sounds of affirmation floated through the room.

"You've done great this year and I'm really proud of all of you. That's why I've decided we should have a little contest." Will told them with a bright smile.

Immediately, Rachel perked up in her seat. Mercedes and Tina started whispering amongst themselves excitedly but Mike didn't look so enthused.

"Do we have to participate?" Mike wanted to know.

"Yes, everyone has to participate. We're a team guys! That's why you'll be partnered up, to foster team participation." Mr. Schue explained.

Rachel deflated a little bit at the mention of a partner but raised her hand pertly to ask a question.

Will dipped his head in her direction and said, "Go ahead Rachel."

"What is the prize?" Rachel inquired, getting straight to the point.

"The winners will each get to perform a solo at Regionals." Will informed her.

Rachel's eagerness returned and she beamed brightly.

"And we can perform any song of our choosing for the contest?" Rachel pressed on.

"Sure, but remember. Both partners must participate." Will said, looking directly at Rachel.

A few snickers were heard but Rachel wasn't bothered. Satisfied, she sat back in her seat, already thinking of songs that best suited her voice.

"Do we get to pick partners this time?" Puck asked warily.

"No, once again, we're letting the fates decide." Mr. Schuester replied, pulling the hat into view.

"Yeah, because that went so well the first time." Finn muttered, the memory of Mr. Schue and Rachel singing Endless Love running through his head.

"Alright, Quinn, you're up first." Will said, gesturing to her.

Quinn walked to the front and plucked Tina's name out of the hat. She shrugged with a little half smile as she went to sit by Tina.

"Mike, how about you next?" Will teased, a smile playing at his lips.

Mike still looked less than enthused and his mood soured even further as he was paired with Artie. It wasn't like he had anything against the other boy but working with his girlfriend's ex-boyfriend was not his idea of fun. Still, Mike managed to put on a game face and took a seat near Artie.

"Okay, come on Lauren." Schue said.

Lauren ambled over and carelessly pulled a slip out.

"Santana." Lauren read aloud.

Santana barely held back a look of disdain. Lauren pointedly returned to the seat she'd been sitting in before.

"Mercedes, your turn." Will continued, looking around to see who was left.

"It's you and me Finn." Mercedes called out with a relieved smile after reading the name she'd picked.

Finn chuckled at Mercedes' enthusiasm. He was glad he'd gotten paired with Mercedes. She had a great voice and they definitely had a chance to win.

"Rachel." Will announced next, seeing her barely contained anticipation.

Rachel walked up, running through who was left mentally. Sam wouldn't be so bad she guessed. She quickly pulled out a name and immediately blanched.

"Mr. Schuester, I would really prefer to redraw." Rachel said quietly.

"Unless you pulled your own name out, no redraws." Will shook his head.

Rachel opened her mouth to argue but closed it seeing the look on his face. She took a deep breath and turned to face the rest of the group.

"Noah." She said weakly.

She didn't dare look at Finn. Still, she could practically feel the anger rolling off of him in waves. Puck looked surprised but other than that, he just nodded.

"Come on Berry, just sit down." Puck told her, seeing her standing there unsurely.

His words were rather harsh but his tone was nice enough. Rachel took her previous seat which happened to be in front of Puck.

"Calm down. We're just paired together for the contest." Puck whispered to her, leaning forward.

Rachel snuck a peek at Finn and his face was dark as thunder as Sam and Brittany were left to partner up. She gulped audibly, a sound that Puck heard.

"Don't worry about Finn. He'll get over it." Puck said dismissively.

Rachel wasn't so sure.

Rachel practically darted out the room as soon as practice ended. She wasn't quick enough though because Finn was hot on her heels.

"Rachel!" He called, his tone sharp and serious.

Rachel paused, wincing slightly. She just couldn't catch a break these days. She turned around, plastering a fake smile on her face.

"Hello Finn. How are you?" Rachel said, forcing an upbeat tone.

"I bet you're happy. Paired up with Puck." Finn spat out.

"Look, it was simple probability. There was a 1/3rd chance that I would end up-" Rachel started, breaking into a explanation of the mathematics of it.

Finn wasn't interested though. He steamrolled right over her.

"Yeah, whatever. What was the probability that you'd cheat on me with Puck?" Finn interrupted.

Rachel looked like she'd been slapped and Finn's face softened. He was about to speak when Puck exited, calling Rachel's name.

"You know Mr. Schue said it was the fates that decided who we got put with. Maybe this is just fate's way of telling us that we're not meant to be together." Finn told her, looking a little lost.

With that, he walked off with his hands in his pockets, leaving Rachel standing there alone.

A/N: Thanks to those that reviewed! This story should be about ten to twelve chapters long and I hope to have it finished by the time Glee comes back. I'm trying to write as much as possible before classes start back next week and I already have the next three chapters written. So, please review and I'm planning on putting the next chapter up on Friday.