Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I do not own Glee. I do not own Ryan Murphy either.

A/n: I am in a good mood, so I'm updating earlier but don't expect so many updates. School's getting busier and busier and exams are coming. Hope you guys enjoy this chapter and THANKS for all the awesome people who reviewed the previous chapter. Thanks also to Petrina, Man Lin, Mary-Ann, Yun Xuan and so many of my other friends who have given me encouragement whether you know it or not. Love you guys!

Rachel's POV

I looked at my timetable as I strolled down the hallway. Pre-Calc first, followed by English, Chemistry, Dance and Drama. God knows, I needed the extra rehearsal. When I got that phone call from Jeff last evening, telling me that he had managed to get a closed audition at the prestigious dance studio "Free Movement" for us, I literally screamed out loud. My mind had been going at hyper speed, thinking about possible dance routines, choice of music genres, possible dance moves and such. Jeff had just laughed quietly, "We had it planned out, remember? The hip hop/freestyle routine? We'll be fine. Pick you up tomorrow at 4. See ya."

I finished replaying the events of last night and turned around, bumping into someone. My books spilled all over the place and I landed heavily on my ankle, crying out in pain. "Shit!" someone mumbled and I looked up to find out what had happened. There was a boy leaning over me, his chestnut eyes crinkled with worry. He had dark brown hair that was artfully tousled and he was wearing a fitting white polo shirt that showcased the outline of his muscles and faded blue jeans. I blushed slightly as I realised I had been staring at him. He stretched out a hand and I winced as he pulled me up from the floor, gingerly rubbing my ankle.

"Are you ok?" the boy asked.

"Yup. I'm fine." I bent down to pick up my books, wincing again as my twisted ankle tried to support the weight of my body. "I don't think so. I'll take you to the infirmary. I'm Nick, by the way." He said, smiling as he did so. "I'm Rachel." I introduced myself. He took my books and carried them with one arm, the other supporting me around my waist. A tingle went through me as he placed his hand there and I was surprised. You can't possibly like Nick! You just met him today! I chided myself mentally. On the other hand, however, he did seem genuinely nice.

I battled with my inner thoughts as I limped towards the infirmary. Reaching it, the nurse there took a look at my ankle and just declared it sprained. "It should be fine in a few days." She said cheerfully. "But, I have a dance audition tomorrow!" I more or less screamed at her. "Well, you have to postpone it I'm afraid. You can't be dancing with that ankle." She bustled around hurriedly and proceeded to wrap my ankle up.

I walked out as best as I could, the pain was pretty bearable. I think I still could dance with it, musing thoughtfully. I was surprised when I saw Nick waiting for me. "Shouldn't you be in class?" I asked him. "Nah. I wanted to know if you were alright. It was my fault that you ended up in this state." He apologized, looking downwards. I laughed slightly and he looked up at me confused. "It's ok. It's just a sprain." I assured him. He cheered up slightly and asked me, "Tell me about you. I mean I only know your name's Rachel."

"Ok. I'm Rachel Barbra Berry. I'm 18 this year. I love Broadway and all other types of music. I love singing and dancing. I like watching action movies, chick flicks and romantic comedies. Ummm… I have two dads. My surrogate mother didn't want me when I found her. She's Vocal Adrenaline's coach: Shelby Corcoran." I said, a single tear trailing down her cheek. I wiped it away, plastering a smile on my face. "It's your turn."

"Sorry, Rachel. OK. I'm Nicholas Duval. I'm 18 too. I prefer pop and hard rock, but I don't mind Broadway at all. I like singing and drama. My family is really supportive of my decisions and I have 3 younger siblings: Emily, Lauren and Jimmy." He finished smiling.

"Wow. That's a lot of children for one family." I joked, lessening the tension. I mean I had only known him for a day and I was already attracted to him. Please, a guy as kind and hot like him probably had a girlfriend already. I looked at my watch and realised it was already 11. "Oh shit! We missed about half of the day already! I need to rehearse!" I was freaking out and tried to run to the dance auditorium that NYADA had, only to be stopped by Nick's hand.

"Rest a bit, Rachel. Your ankle is still sprained." He guided me to the nearby chair. "But, but… I have an audition tomorrow!" I protested my efforts futile. "Hey. Just call them up and explain to them. They'll understand." He assured me. "Ok, then. If you say so."

I called Jeff on his mobile. "Hey! What's up, Rach!"

"Hey Jeff! I can't make it for the audition today. Can we postpone it?"

"Why? Are you alright?"

"I sprained my ankle. I can't dance for the next few days."

"It's fine. How's next Wednesday for you?"

"Yep. It should be ok by then. See you around."

"See you, Rach."

I hung up and looked back at Nick. "Well, Jeff said he would help us postpone the audition, so we can audition another day."

"Jeff? As in Jeff Sterling from Julliard?"

"Yep. You know him? He's my dance partner. We used to take lessons together in Lima." I replied, a bit shocked at how he knew Jeff.

"He's my best friend from Dalton. We used to hang out a lot together, but now we're in different schools, so it's harder." He said sadly.

"It's ok. You two could always meet up occasionally." I reassured him. We collapsed into friendly banter, joking and laughing away at the silliest things. Nick made me feel happy with myself. He literally brightened up my day. I was quite shocked at how comfortable I was around him, like I had known him for ages. I really liked him. I wished he did like me back.