Rachel thought she was glad he didn't acknowledge her 'wish you were here' text on New Years. A few glasses of champagne could really cloud your judgement. She is trying to be just friends with him, but it is so hard. The pull he has on her is just too strong. When school starts back up, she is anxious to start auditions for the spring musical. She has worked really hard and she thinks she could finally take the lead. It's a big disappointment a few weeks later when her senior rival grabs it instead. It's so hard for her here. Even in the relative small pool of the school, she isn't the best, it makes her nervous when she thinks of all the talented actresses she'll be competing with for Broadway roles. She vows to work even harder and picks up an extra acting class. Her dads are so encouraging and fly in to see everything she's in, even though the parts are minor.
Her roommates have been begging her to go out, they have boyfriends and want her to entertain their friends. She tries, but something is always wrong, the guys are too short or too thin or too smooth. Their kisses are too sure, their humor too sharp. Their hands don't hold hers the right way and they always say exactly the right thing. She makes excuses about their hair or their smile, that they aren't musically compatible, but really they just aren't him. Besides, they are all distractions to her ultimate goal and eventually they find easier dates.
She spends hours perfecting her monologue and her solo, and her dads are thrilled when she picks up the lead in a traveling production of 'Annie Get Your Gun'. She is secretly thrilled that one of the stops is in Columbus and she makes sure to post the schedule on Facebook. When Tina comments that some of the Glee kids will be there, she is equally thrilled and nervous. When school ends and the summer tour starts, she's surprised that she doesn't love it. It's kind of boring doing the same show every night and the cheering crowd isn't filling her up the way it used too. She tells herself she's just not focusing, and that Broadway will be so much better than this silly tour. They are doing three shows in Columbus and she gets more and more excited as the dates approach. She knows her friends are coming Saturday night, but they are being vague about who will actually be there. She saves them four front row seats at the Will Call and hopes one will be for him. When she steps out on stage, she spots a tall guy with shaggy hair in the front and even though she can't really see him, she knows it's him and suddenly the magic is back and she's shining like a star. When the show is finished, she hurries through her backstage rituals and hopes they are waiting for her out front as they planned. She sees him before they see her and she has to pull herself back so he won't know how happy she is. She hugs Tina and Mike and then turns to him and hugs him, trying to pretend it's the same as hugging Mike, but they both know it's not. Acting makes her hungry, so they decide to go to Waffle House for a late night snack before she has to be in for curfew. They catch her up on all the gossip and listen to her stories of traveling all summer. Later she can't really remember anything that was said, but she can vividly recall his proud smile and the warmth of his arm brushing hers at the table. When they drop her back at the hotel, he hugs her close and tells her she was really awesome on the stage. She wishes she could have a few more minutes with him.
"Do you have a girlfriend?" She asks, not really wanting the answer.
"Nah." he says "I'm just focusing on school right now. Next semester I get to spend some time in a classroom, I think I'm going to be a teacher."
"I think you'll be amazing." She says, and she wants to say more, but Mike is honking the horn and they really need to get back. He squeezes her arm and says don't be a stranger and walks to the car. She knows she pushed him away and she has no right to feel sad, but she misses him anyway. At her next show, she thinks that applause is no substitute for the warmth of his arms. But she shakes it off, because she has worked so hard for this her whole life, she can not quit.
She feels like she's being pulled in so many directions and she doesn't know how to make it stop. She's afraid that somewhere along the way her dreams might have changed. Maybe it was childish to think she could be famous. Maybe instead of a Tony and her name in lights, she wants Finn and a white picket fence. But she feels ashamed for even thinking that way. Before fall semester starts, she goes home to see her dads. She asks them what if she doesn't make it, what if she just isn't good enough? They laugh and tell her not to be silly. She was born to be a star. But they can see she's a little serious and they tell her that she shouldn't let a few auditions discourage her. It's tough to make it on Broadway, but they've raised her to reach for her dreams, she has barely given it a shot. Don't stop now. And she loves their excitement and passion for her dreams and she can't let them down.