You'd Be Surprised
Chapter 3
**Flashback**
Rachel Berry* walked down the hallway, her signature 1000-watt smile plastered across her face and a determined spring in her step. Monday mornings may have been every average teenager's nightmare, but Rachel Berry* wasn't your average 15 year-old. She had dreams, goals, obsessions… and she wasn't about to give that up any time soon. Her life was perfect. She had two extremely loving and devoted Dads who were more than willing to fund her extensive training in the performing arts and who taught her to be herself (they are a homosexual/interracial couple, they screamed diversity). She was amazingly talented, which came in handy when she won the lead in the school Glee club last week. Rachel Berry* would and could do anything (apart from nudity and the exploitation of animals) that she chose and do it well. She was pretty and had already attracted the attention of one Finn Hudson (McKinley High quarterback and total hottie) for all the right reasons.
Yes, today was just another perfect day.
Until, David Karofsky (school bully) unleashed a slushie attack right there in the middle of the hall. Rachel Berry* exhaled a deep sigh, grabbed her routine change of clothes and marched off to the always-deserted girls' bathroom, head held high and blue slushie dripping down all the way from her face into the waistband of her high-waisted, floral-print skirt. And not even Grape…
However, as she neared the girls' bathroom her façade gradually broke more and more. Up until the point at which she was trembling with tears and quickly dashing into the bathroom. Rachel Berry* became Rachel. She slumped over the sink, hands steadying her at either side of the basin. Still hunched over, she raised her head to take in her dishevelled appearance. Sure enough, there she was: black tears leaving trails down her cheeks, hair and clothes stuck to her body, damp and tangled with blue icy syrup, chest heaving and eyes… broken, dead almost.
Who was she kidding? Rachel was nowhere near perfect. Yes she had two Dads, but she didn't have the mother she so yearned for. The female presence she had craved ever since she could talk. How she longed for a familiar smile, the loving arms of the woman who carried her. But that wasn't going to happen any time soon; her fathers had never mentioned her and Rachel didn't know a thing about her. Where is she? Who is she? Why did she give me up? Can she sing? Do I look like her? She would never know… And yes, she may be talented, but no one appreciated it. And she meant no one. Even her Dads. They just paid for her. Never once had they watched a performance or listened to her practice. She even had to find her own way to the lessons, whether it be walking, taking the disease-ridden bus or finding a ride with anyone who had a car (and yes, that meant Jacob Ben Israel more than a couple of times). Yes, she won the lead, but of the Glee Club: the most despised and looked down on club in the whole school (even below the Chess Team and Science Club). This only earned her even more ridicule, if it were possible.
The only thing that I completely delude myself with is my appearance. She straightened to observe herself fully. Why aren't I thinner? Why am I so small? Why is my nose so large? Why can't I be normal? No wonder everyone taunts me…
And Finn…oh, who am I kidding. He'd never be interested in a freak like me. I'm just something he likes to play with, to keep him from getting bored. He probably laughs as soon as I turn my back. What the hell is wrong with me?
Quickly, she got to work on changing, washing her hair, redoing her make-up and discarding the ruined clothes.
Once again, she returned to the mirror and fired inward insults at herself.
Before she pulled herself together and became that untouchable, determined and sometimes abrasive woman, she let herself remain the terrified, self-conscious little girl.
No wonder everyone hates me. I despise myself.
"I hate you", she growled under her breath, staring from underneath hooded eyelids with those big brown eyes trained in a possessed gaze.
And with that, all of a sudden she snapped her head back up high, forced on that star smile and hitched her bags on her shoulder. She couldn't be late, Rachel Berry*was never late… and Rachel hated her for it.
As she bounced through the door, she failed to notice the astonished figure waiting on the other side. He watched her walk away briskly, hips swaying and face pulled into that massive smile.
That was so not the girl I saw a minute ago…