Finn didn't know what to think. On one hand Rachel was joining glee, they would have a new member and it was the girl he loved to boot, but on the other hand her timing couldn't have been worse. He looked over at Tina, who looked like somebody had just punched her in the face.

"You want to join glee?" Mr. Schuester asked, clearly as surprised as the rest of them.

"Well, I figured since I'll be out of commission for a while it might be fun to try some new things."

"Um, Rachel you do realize you have to audition right?" Artie said.

"Already covered" Rachel said reaching into her backpack and pulling out some sheet music. "I found this online" she handed one copy to Brad and one to Mr. Schuester.

"Umm, okay I guess we have time to see what you can do. What key would you like it in?" Mr. Schuester asked.

"Key?" She asked, clearly at a loss.

"You don't read music?" Mr. Schuester asked.

"Not exactly" she said bashfully.

"Well, that's okay just follow along with Brad the best you can."

As Brad began to play the song, Finn's jaw dropped in shock.

Highway run into the midnight sun, wheels go round and round you're on my mind

Was she doing it on purpose? Was it just to screw with him? Or did she just really love that song? Judging by the way she looked at him, it couldn't have been the former. Finn looked around at the other glee members who all looked very similar to the way he felt the first time he heard her sing, the surprise part, not the overwhelming feelings of desire part. As she finished, the room exploded in applause, even Tina had to shrug her shoulders and clap, she was just that good.

"Oh my god where have you been hiding that voice?" Mr. Schuester said.

"In the shower mostly?" Rachel said.

"Well you're definitely in. Have a seat, you earned it"

As rachel took her seat on the other side of Finn, the group couldn't help but think that things were about to get a lot more interesting in glee.

"I can't believe you joined glee, are you insane?" Quinn said as Rachel joined her for lunch.

"What? The doctor says I can't cheer for a month, what am I supposed to do with my time?"

"I don't know, something normal. Besides it's not like you're off the team or anything, you still have to go to practice."

"And glee won't interfere with practice, trust me I have it all figured out."

"Oh yeah, what about Puck, how does he feel about your little fifth-life crisis?"

"About how you'd expect"

Puck entered the lunch room and took his usual seat next to Rachel.

"Hey babe, guess what I got in my pocket" He said

"I'm not playing that game Noah" she said dismissively.

"No, look" he said reaching into his pocket and pulling out two tickets "Season passes to Cedar Point, one for me and one for you."

"Thank you Noah this is so sweet" she said, throwing her arms around his neck.

"So do you like the gift?"

"I love it."

"How much?"

"Not enough to quit glee club" she said, seeing right through him.

"Come on babe those cost me a lot of money"

"Well I'm sorry but you can't bribe me with unlimited theme park access" she handed the tickets back to Puck.

"I don't get it, why glee? I mean is it just to piss me off?"

"Believe it or not Noah, not everything is about you. I'm doing this for me" Rachel said. "I actually like to sing, and I'm good, I'm really good and I'm tired of hiding it. Can't you respect that?"

"Rachel I'm cool with you wanting to express yourself and crap but can't you do it in a way that doesn't make me look like a complete tool?"

"Noah you're doing a fine job of that all on your own" Rachel grabbed her tray and started getting up to leave.

"Where are you going?"

"To the library, there's a book on reading music I want to check out."

"Rachel, wait" Puck said.

"What?"

"If you really loved me you'd quit this stupid club" He said in one final act of desperation.

"Noah, that didn't work to get me into bed and it's certainly not going to work now. Now when you're ready to accept the fact that not everything I do is going to be strictly for your own benefit then maybe we can be on the same page again."

"As Rachel walked out Puck cursed under his breath. He then looked toward Finn who steered his glance away from him just one second too late.

"Do you have a problem?" Puck seethed.

"No, not at all" Finn said, trying to hold back the look of satisfaction on his face.

"You know I promised my girl I wouldn't kick your ass anymore but don't push me Hudson." With that Puck marched out in a huff.

Rachel sat at the Piano, tentatively picking out keys to test her voice to. Finn knew he would find her there, if there was one thing Rachel was it was determined. If she had it her way she'd learn to read music by the end of the week.

"Hey Rachel" Finn said taking a seat next to Rachel on the piano bench. "Can we talk?"

"So we're talking now?" Rachel said.

"It's just that I'm a little confused about why you joined, I mean you kind of seemed like you had your mind made up before."

"Well, minds can change."

"But why?

"Finn, I thought you wanted me to join."

"I did… I do. It's just that I feel like you're trying to tell me something without actually saying it. Are you?"

Rachel looked at him with those big eyes of hers, the ones that always made his heart drop into his stomach.

"Okay, you know how I said I've never sang on stage before?" Rachel said.

"Yeah, I remember."

"Well, that's not entirely true. When I was a kid it was sort of my dream to be a… Broadway star."

Finn smiled, "really?"

"Yeah, I performed in talent shows, I did a few plays in elementary school and I actually got the lead in Oklahoma when I was in the fifth grade. I was so excited, I practiced for months. I even spoke in a southern accent when I was in class and I would sing the songs from the play in the hallways during period breaks… until one day when I was doing my rendition of Many a New Day during lunch…

"Go on" Finn said.

"Well, this boy Johnny Parker, on whom I nursed a fairly intense crush I might add, approached me in the lunch room. He told me my voice was beautiful and asked me to join him and his friends for sloppy joes, right before his friends started chanting loser over and over again and proceeded to collectively throw their slushies in my face."

"A slushy facial? Oh god those are the worst"

"I know" Rachel continued "I was so upset I ran home early and cried for a straight hour."

"Then what happened?"

"The next day when I went to school everyone laughed at me, they called me 'slushy girl.' I guess I kind of originated the whole slushy facial thing."

"So you…

"Quit the play" she said, finishing his sentence. "All I ever wanted was to be special, but after that all I wanted was to disappear. My dad didn't protest, I think the idea of me being victimized every day was enough for him to stop encouraging me to be different. And I stopped encouraging myself, I figured if I was going to be great at something I'd be great at something normal and acceptable, like cheerleading.

"Well, you are a great cheerleader."

"And for a while that felt like enough… until you came along"

"Me?"

"That's why I didn't want to join glee. I was afraid of feeling something that I hadn't felt in a really long time, the need to be different, to be special, all of the things that hurt me in the first place. All of the things that I start to feel again when I'm with you."

Finn couldn't believe what he was hearing, all of this time she did feel something for him, he wasn't just some loser to her.

"I didn't realize I had that effect on you… or any effect on you for that matter" Finn said.

"I didn't want to admit to myself that I was drawn to you, I didn't want to mess things up with Noah or my friends, and I still don't, but when I hit the ground that day I realized that cheerleading, the only thing I had left, could be taken away at any moment. I needed more, and that I was just cheating myself by not going for it."

Rachel decided not to mention the fact that her inexplicable jealousy towards Tina also played a pretty big part in her decision to join glee, but even though she didn't tell the complete truth it still felt good to be able to open up to Finn that way.

"Rachel since we're being honest, if I tell you something, do you promise you won't get mad at me?" Finn said.

"If I say no will you tell me anyway?"

"Yes, but I'll probably be nervous and take three times as long to get it out."

"Okay, then I promise I won't get mad."

"Okay, here goes" Finn said more hesitantly than he had pictured in his mind. "Your boyfriend is a giant douche."

Rachel didn't know quite how to respond, she wanted to go on the defensive, but she had made a promise.

"Finn, it's not exactly a big secret that you dislike Noah" she said calmly.

"There's more. Even if he wasn't a giant douche, which he is, I still wouldn't be able to look at him without wanting to punch him in the face. He could be the nicest guy on the planet and I'd still hate him with a passion."

"Why?"

"Because" He said, almost losing his nerve, "Because I'm in love with you."