Disclaimer: I do not own Glee.

A.N. I'm so grateful for everyone who has taken the time to read and review this story. To those who have added it to their favourite list, or subscribed all I can say is thank you. I hope that you enjoy this chapter, feel free to let me know your thoughts :)

ROCKCHIC179 As you don't seem to have pm set up I just wanted to say thanks for the reviews, more suspense I'm afraid this chapter ;)

She was frozen, unable to move or speak as she watched the scene unfold before her eyes. For years she had craved three things; her rightful place in the spotlight, friends and the love of her very own leading man. For a short time she had had them all. Now she just wanted to run and hide, stay in the shadows unnoticed by everyone, if only to protect herself from...NO she wasn't going to think about that day again if she could help herself. Somewhere in her head she registered a hand gently rub her back, fingers caressing her hair every now and then, words spoken quietly that had no other purpose but to soothe, to reasure her that she wasn't alone. That she was safe.

Perhaps her new friendships were a good thing, she was not alone in spite of what that cruel voice had told her. Screamed at her. While she was glad to have these people here the guilt overwhelmed her. By choosing to support her she was, potentially, tearing apart friendships that went back to their preschool days, destroying a family she knew meant so much to Kurt and his dad.

Her tears became louder as her whole body shook with the force of tears that wracked her small frame, to the point that words became a jumble of confusion and she couldn't seem to catch her breath.

Welcoming the distraction as Sue's voice entered the fray, she focused on the new sound to steady herself, caught Noah's eye, and though she couldn't quite work out all the emotion she saw there, it was enough to stop the panic attack from taking over fully. She saw him give a nod in the direction of the door and welcoming his permission to escape she took a small sip of water. She caught the look that passed between Kurt and Noah, the wordless conversation, then allowed herself to be quietly moved from the room, knowing that Noah would be with her soon.

She paused briefly as Kurt pulled out his phone, spoke quickly to Blaine, no doubt updating him on the drama and getting advice he clearly needed. Kurt turned his attention back to his friend. "Rach, Blaine is going to meet us at your house, that's okay right?" She nodded her head. Blaine was becoming like a brother to her and he would also help Kurt so it was a win win situation. "I'm going back to the choir room for a few minutes but Puck will be with you really soon to drive you home. Will you be ok by yourself?"

"I'll wait on the bleachers for him, the fresh air will do me some good, clear my head a bit. I'm so sorry that you got dragged into this."

Kurt silenced her with a look, gave her a quick hug and sent her off to the stands with his parting words ringing in her ears. "Don't even go there Rach, none of this is your fault. I'll see you at home."

Rachel slowly made her way out of the school building heading towards the football field wishing she had a heavier coat on her, for in spite of the warm fall sun, the emotional trama of the previous hours had taken its toll on her and her light jumper did nothing to keep the chill away. She only hoped that Noah would be there soon so that she could leave school for the warm refuge that was her home.

As the minutes passed Rachel's mind began to drift to the start of the summer. Finn was gone to a football camp at OSU but she was so busy taking her normal dance and vocal classes to really have time to miss him. She was already begining to question her decision to reunite with him, though if she was honest with herself her doubts began before she left the library on the last day of school. Wishing she had listened to her instincts, Rachel instead focused on the positive aspects of the holiday, namely the strengthening of her existing friendships with Noah, Kurt and Blaine, and the tentative friendship with Britt and Santana.

The three girls had become closer after meeting at one of the dance workshops Rachel was taking. Brittany had also signed up and wherever the blonde girl was so to was Santana. At first they had only exchanged casual greetings, then Rachel had been paired with Britt for the recital which led to the two former cheerleaders spending time in her home dance studio. Britt was hoping to add this performance to her audtion reel for college, so Santana took it upon herself to warn Rachel to share the spotlight since dance was not her career goal. On the day of the performance when Santana saw how Rachel not only shared their stagetime, but had actually let Brittany be the star, she found herself respecting the small diva and decided to get to know her better.

Rachel's dads were so happy to see the new group of kids that were constantly in their house and how their daughter seems to blossom as a result of their presence. Rachel felt herself relax in spite of her busy schedule which now also included day trips to baseball games, picnics in the local parks, going to smaller parties and just acting like a regular teen. She knew she would remember this time forever but if she had known how the summer would end she might have wished that things had stayed the same. On the other hand she couldn't, no wouldn't wish away her friendships just because Finn had reacted so badly when he finally returned from camp.

Noah's voice calling her name woke Rachel from her memories and she tried to concentrate on what he was saying, unknowingly blinking away tears she didn't realise were there. Noah took her hand, scowling at how cold it was he threw his letterman jacket over her shoulders and gently pulled her to her feet. He began leading her away from the school wishing he had the words to comfort her. If thoughts could kill Finn would be a dead man several times over. For now he needed to get Rachel home but he was in no doubt that karma would eventually catch up with his former best friend, especially with so many people eager to act on karma's behalf.

A.N. So this was a slightly shorter chapter than the previous ones, but I plan on updating tomorrow so hopefully that will make up for it. I know a lot of people are wondering about the mystery, but I want to warn you that there are a few more chapters before all becomes clear, so I hope you will keep reading. I have been putting small hints into each chapter so I hope this is enough to encourage you all to stick with me. Thanks again for reading ~Carrie