So… chapter three. I'm quite nervous about this one because it's really unchartered water for me style wise. Rachel demanded a rather long monologue in this one, so tell me what you think of that, and also what you think of Mr. Schuester.
DON'T OWN, and I'd really love it if you stopped rubbing that in!!!
***
Rachel cracked open and eye and glanced at her phone.
"Crap! Quinn, wake up! It's after seven thirty!" Quinn groaned and rolled out of bed. Rachel was flipping through her wardrobe frantically and brushing her teeth at the same time. She rushed back into her ensuite to rinse.
"Quinn, are you ok to get to school? Noah is driving me!" She called out
"Yeah, I figured that would be the case. I'm getting a ride with Brittany." Quinn called back. She wandered back into Rachel's room, and pointed out which outfit Rachel should wear out of the two options (since Quinn had moved in, Rachel's style had remained preppy, but was much less grandma and much more Blair Waldorf)
***
Quinn had skidded out the door with a "bye Rach!" and Rachel was alone in her kitchen. She slowly pushed down the plunger on her coffee pot and breathed in the aroma before pouring it into her Avenue Q travel mug, and added sugar and lactose free milk.
She heard a knock at the door. Rachel slung her satchel over her shoulder (Quinn had convinced her that the granny bag HAD to go) and walked to the door. She kissed her boyfriend hello and followed him to the car.
"We have to drop Nay off to school first, and she has demanded both shotgun and control of the stereo". Rachel yawned and nodded. She steeled herself up for the Jonas Brothers or a similar form of torture, but was pleasantly surprised when she heard the opening chords of Bennie and the Jets. She sighed in relief.
"You weren't expecting High School Musical or some crap, were you? Nay here had been demanding Elton since she was three." Rachel nodded her approval.
"Our neighbour bought me the Twilight CD for my birthday. I made Noah take it back and get me the Beatles." Rachel nearly choked on her coffee.
"Well, I actually quite like both Muse and Paramore, but I don't know that I could deal with the shame of owning something Twilight related, so good move Naomi." Puck nodded his agreement. He pulled up at the elementary school.
"Ok midget, I'll come and get you from Samantha's after Glee rehearsal". Naomi gave them a gappy smile and waved as they pulled away.
Rachel was content to listen to Goodbye Yellow Brick Road and the rest of the car trip was spent in comfortable silence. Puck pulled up in his usual spot in the student car park. Rachel froze.
"Oh no! I haven't brought a change of clothes to school in over a month. There are surely going to be repercussions of us getting back together, and that probably means wearing some slushies. I can't believe I didn't consider this!" Puck got out of the car and opened Rachel's car door (he claimed it got stuck, but his little sister seemed to have no problem with it).
"We are a couple of good looking Jews Rach; we'll just roll with it. If people can't deal, that's their problem. If either of us scores a slushie facial I'll coerce Schuester into letting us leave to change." Rachel nodded.
"Let's do this." She took his hand and began to walk into the school
***
Rachel split with Puck and went to her locker. She waved at Quinn, who was talking to Santana and Brittany. They came over to her.
"I hear you and Puck are back on" Santana stated. Rachel nodded, before taking her last sip of coffee and putting the travel mug into her locker.
"He acts like a dumb ass, you just give me the word and I'll set him straight, ok?" Santana said. Rachel smiled. Their relationship had become noticeably friendlier after Rachel had insisted that Santana wasn't lying about the set list at sectionals.
"Thanks Santana, I'll be sure to do just that." The bell rang, and Rachel gathered her books and went to her first class
***
Rachel was returning to her locker at the end of third period when she saw Finn there waiting for her.
"He's only going to hurt you Rachel. He's damaged goods, it's what he does." Rachel scoffed.
"Are you serious Finn? You want to do this now? Noah is going to hurt me? Noah isn't the one who has been jerking me around since they joined Glee, flirting with me and then leaving me hanging constantly. You've been single for close to a month now Finn, and the second I become unavailable you decide to show some interest? You just want what you can't have. I'm not your second choice anymore. You and I both know you still love Quinn, and I am not about to jeopardise my friendship with her so you can disappoint me yet again. I'm with Noah now, and whether you choose to accept that is your business. And just so we're clear, I'm looking for baggage that goes with mine, and the damaged goods you're talking about are working into my life just fine." With that, Rachel stormed to her Spanish class.
***
"Still slushie free?" Rachel smiled.
"So far, yes. I consider the whispers in the hallways valuable practice for my future as a Tony winner." Puck chuckled and slung an arm around her waist, and began to walk toward the cafeteria.
"Mmm, unidentified slop. My favourite." Rachel rolled her eyes at Puck and followed him to the table normally occupied by Gleeks.
"Only a matter of time until you two got back together. I'm surprised that they didn't lock you two up and harness that burning sexual tension into a weapon of mass destruction."
"Mike, I'm so glad the vagina transplant was a success. Never speak like that again" Puck shot out. Mike extended his hand and Puck slapped it and then fist bumped it, and Mike then gave Rachel a friendly kiss on the cheek.
"I'm real happy for you both." Rachel smiled.
"Thanks Mike, it means a lot." Artie pulled up at the head of the table, and Tina dropped her tray in the place opposite Rachel.
"It was the boots, right? It was so totally the boots that woke Puckerone up. Rachel, I gotta borrow those boots!" Tina jerked her head towards Artie. Rachel nodded emphatically, and swallowed her unidentified slop.
"Absolutely. I woke up late today, but those boots are as good as yours Tina. May they bring you similar results as the ones brought to me."
Rachel continued her conversation with Tina, Quinn occasionally putting forward an opinion, but mostly content to sit quietly and observe.
Rachel rose to refill her travel mug with green tea and lemon (excellent for digestion and detoxifying), and as she walked past Kurt and Mercedes (who were seated as far away from her as humanly possible, and hiding behing a copy of Cosmo) she heard snippets of conversation
"…gosh, she can't share, can she?..."
"…not enough to ruin one relationship…"
"…so self centred…"
"…typical diva behaviour…" Whatever. Rachel knew she was better than that. She took her seat.
"You ok baby?" She forced a smile onto her face.
"Oh, I'm fine. I think it was too much to expect universal support. You haven't been given to hard a time, have you?" Puck shrugged.
"Matt was cool. He said it was about damn time anyway. Finn looked like I kicked his puppy."
"Finn tried to give me a lecture on what a jerk you are, and how you were just going to break my heart. I told him where he could shove it." Puck kissed her temple.
"That's my girl"
***
All in all, the day was pretty good. Rachel walked into Glee rehearsal ready to vote for Tina's version of Higher Ground to be the next group number. The choir room was a flurry of noise and movement. Artie and Puck were jamming on the guitars; Finn, Matt and Mike were laughing at a Youtube Clip and Quinn was chatting to Brittney as Brittany proved her potential as a human pretzel while Tina sketched frantically on an art pad. Kurt came flooding into the room, closely flanked by Santana and Mercedes.
"We so totally have the latest scoop on Wemma Watch." Wemma Watch basically involved stalking Mr. Schuester and Ms. Pillsbury in the hopes of seeing them finally get together."
"Ok, so I was in Mr. Schue's fifth period Spanish class and..."
"Wait!" Mercedes abruptly cut Santana off.
"I'm not so sure we should be discussing this now. After all, loose lips sink ships." Kurt said prissily.
"Yeah, we'll just wait for our own personal trout mouth to have a diva fit and run out on us" Mercedes and Kurt both fixed Rachel with a pointed stare.
Rachel's jaw dropped. They had finally taken it a step too far. She stood up and walked over to Mercedes and Kurt.
"Trout mouth? You really want to go there with me Mercedes? Let's wander on down memory lane, shall we? I remember SOMEONE having a secret of gargantuan proportions told to them. I also remember that person not respecting the basic laws of secrecy by keeping their fat mouth shut, but instead blabbing to three quarters of the Glee club, but that person was also certain to not tell the one person who had the right to know, or the person with a strong enough moral compass to tell the truth.
My motivations for telling the truth may not have been entirely virtuous, but let's face facts Mercedes; of the two of us; I am not the one who spreads gossip like venereal disease."
Pandora's box had been blown wide open. Ever bitter feeling Rachel had ever had came pouring out of her mouth.
"You know, I would love to know exactly what it is I've done to make you people hate me so much. We're Glee club, remember? We're supposed to understand what is to be outcast, but you people seem determined to further ostracise me.
I'll be the first to admit that I'm abrasive, über determined, and I have a tendency for diva-esque behaviour. But I've never claimed otherwise. I know who I am. I've never extended a false hand of friendship to set someone up to fall flat on their face. And you know what? Despite my singlemindedness to the point of obsession, I don't think I'm evil incarnate. I can't help but notice that I was the only one who had a problem with our pregnant teammate taking up residence in her car! So I'm sorry. I'm selfish, impatient, and a little insecure. I make mistakes, I am out of control, and at times hard to handle, but if you can't handle me at my worst, then you sure as hell don't deserve me at my best. But I've done my best to reign in my behavior, and crazily enough, I actually thought I was getting somewhere with it."
Rachel dimly noticed someone enter the room.
"Listen here, bia..."Mercedes started.
"Do NOT interrupt me Mercedes, I am not finished! I'm sick of it. I'm sick of the projection I keep getting forced into. I'm Rachel the diva, the bitch, the drama queen. Anything I have to say is just showboating and hubris, right? All I want is the spotlight. So I give it up. But then something happens, and everything goes to hell in a handbasket, and oh Rachel, we need you to save the day. If you want me here, you want me all the time, and not just when it suits you. I have had enough of being the target for your frustrations as well as the target of slushie facials, pornographic images and vicious rumours. All I want for you guys to realise is that I'm important too!"
Rachel sucked in a deep breath. She realised that Mr. Schuester had entered the room, and his face read a mixture of anger and concern.
"I'm not sure of how much of that you were privy to Mr. Schue, but I think it's obvious that such emotional turmoil has significantly jolted my focus. I believe that I will be unable to maintain a professional attitude in rehearsals today, so I think I'll take my leave." Rachel quietly gathered her things and exited the choir room, where the group could hear her previously contained sobs echo off the lockers.
Quinn stood up abruptly.
"Wow, I hope you two big shots are satisfied. You're officially the biggest badasses on the playground. I'm sure that picking on the outsider has filled you with all kinds of fuzzy feelings. You two disgust me, and the rest of you who sat by and let it happen are no better. Rachel and I may not have a sterling record of friendship between us, but you two are in a league of your own; pretending to be her friend and then leaving her high and dry. Sue Sylvester could get some tips off of you. Are you coming, Puck?"Quinn fixed Kurt and Mercedes with a filthy look and marched out of the room with Puck in tow.
"Gosh, Rachel just always has to have the spotlight doesn't she?"Kurt snapped. Mercedes nodded her assent.
"I was well aware that there was some animosity between some of you and Rachel, but this is just toxic. Kurt, you should know that Rachel came to me today with four suggestions of songs featuring you on lead vocal, and Mercedes, she was adamant that we work your Dreamgirls number into our repertoire, seeing as you were robbed of the opportunity to dazzle with it at sectionals; her words, not mine.
I'm aware that Rachel isn't always the easiest person to work with, but it seems to me that she is constantly extending an olive branch to have it flung back in her face. You guys are a team, and it's time you actually started behaving like one. This behaviour changes right now, or I take drastic action to make sure it changes."Mr. Schuester set some warm ups for the group and left to find Rachel.
***
Rachel had hidden in the auditorium. She was dry eyed, and she sat quietly tinkering at the piano. She jumped when she heard the doors open.
"If you're here for round two, just take conceded victory now. I don't have anything left."She sighed. When she didn't get a smart reply, she turned around and burst into mirthless laughter.
"Oh, please tell me you see the irony here. The two people who used to torture me the most are now the only ones who care if I live or die?" Quinn sat down on the piano stool next to Rachel, and wrapped an arm around Rachel's shoulders.
"Believe me Rachel, if someone had told me I'd be doing this six months ago, I would have laughed my ass off."
Rachel sniffled and smiled. She held her free hand out to Puck. He stepped over to her and took it. She pressed a kiss on the back of his palm and smiled up at him. The doors swung open and Rachel steeled up for another round of arguments.
"How did I know that Rachel Berry would hide in an auditorium?"Mr Schuester called out.
"Because I'm an egomaniac trout mouth who uses her co-stars to get ahead?"Rachel replied. Mr Schue climbed up onto the stage.
"I owe you an apology Rachel. I wasn't aware of how excluded you were. That's partly my fault. I have, more than once, forced you to eat humble pie in front of your peers by giving solos I knew you wanted to other people, or made you compete for something I'd already promised to you. You are an amazing young woman, Rachel, and I don't just mean as a performer. I think that many of us have been quick to judge your failings without once noticing your strengths. You have a tremendous heart Rachel, and you should be commended for that. So I'm sorry, Rachel, for not seeing what was in front of me. Quinn, Puck, don't worry about rehearsals. Take Rachel home and watch West Side Story with her."
"Thank you Mr. Schue."Rachel whispered. He smiled and left the auditorium.
"Ok, let's go. But after today, we never speak of this again."Puck said. Rachel shrugged and followed Quinn and Puck to the car.
***
So, that actually finishes a little earlier than where it did in my draft, but I felt like it was dragging a little bit. So blame the Rachel in my head for her epic monologues, trust me, they were not planned.
Also, please tell me what you think of Mr. Schue. I'm actually studying teaching, so I find his lack of professional distance kind of maddening (he should have lost his job SOOOO many times!), but I hope I got him right.
Chapter three has been handwritten! I just have to transcribe it!
Puck cupcakes, and for the members of the I'd Turn Gay for Lea Michele club, cupcakes of Lea at the Grammys for you (she looked VERY cute), in return for reviews!