Sometimes Mike found it amusing how things sometimes turned out.
He'd been afraid of publicly approaching Rachel for years, afraid of people knowing they were friends. Now that he was in Glee, he had assumed that the two of them would just migrate toward each other. However, he hadn't taken into account who they were in public—she was a leader, outspoken, structured; he was loose, quiet- a sheep really. And now, even though they could hang out during school, they still found themselves running in different circles. He realized that no one figured them to be close because the popular kids assumed he was with Matt or at home when he wasn't with them, and the Glee kids thought he was with the popular kids. And basically everyone thought Rachel had no friends, so if she wasn't with Finn, they assumed she was alone. So they went through school like they always had, not really acknowledging each other, and most weekends he (and sometimes other best friend Matt Rutherford) would go to her place and hang out, unbeknownst by all.
Now Sectional's were fast approaching, and Rachel was ecstatic. Even though the set list hadn't been finished yet, she was confident in their chances. However, she was bothered by her sixth sense: something was up with Puck and Quinn—she knew it. And her feeling that the others already knew was heightened since Mike became quieter than usual (if that was possible) whenever she brought it up.
One night Mike had crept into her room as usual, and she was rambling about everything and nothing as usual. She knew he was only half listening, and so she allowed herself to slip into thinking out loud.
"There's something going on with them," she said, staring at the ceiling. "I mean, there's concerned, and then there's Puck." She rolled onto her stomach. "I just need a way to prove it..."
"Rache," Mike told her, sitting up. "You're over-thinking this; there's nothing to prove. Just let sleeping dogs lie."
He'd realized when Quinn's scandal broke—that Puck was the father, and she was using Finn—that they couldn't tell Rachel. Rachel was a strong proponent of honesty, not to mention she had a personal interest in Finn. And he just wanted things to stay uncomplicated (or as uncomplicated as they got with a pregnant teen in Glee). IT was drama like this that made him glad people didn't know about him and Rachel: keeping his own mouth shut was one thing; but trying to convince her to stay quiet (which he was sure they would have considered doing if they'd known about them) was all but impossible.
Apparently, though, something he'd said (or the emphasis with which he'd said it) tipped her off. She stared at him suspiciously.
"You know something," she stated. He couldn't lie to her, so he kept silent. "Do the others know?" Crap, he repeated in his head over and over as he remained mum. "You're Finn's friend," she told him accusingly. "If something's going on that affects his life this dramatically, don't you think he should know?"
Mike was stuck between a rock and a hard place. On top of that, he felt like shit because she was right. But this tell-all wasn't going to happen, and so he did the only thing he could think of to prevent it. "Rachel, be honest," he told her, meeting her gaze evenly. "This isn't about you caring about what's best for Finn; you just hate that he's with Quinn all but permanently now, and you're desperate to break them up because you want him to run to you in some slow-motion cliché movie scenario."
He watched Rachel's eyes reflect the sting of the comment, and dealt the kill shot. "Face it: Finn chose Quinn, and you just need to accept that." He rolled over and shut his eyes, listening to the painful silence between them.
Rachel had waited until she was almost completely sure she was right. And when she'd told Finn, she honestly wasn't sure what she expected to have happen. Despite what Mike had accused her of, she'd known he wouldn't run straight from Quinn's arms into hers, but she certainly hadn't expected him to just attack Puck and then abruptly quit Glee.
She felt awful, knowing that they were going down and it was her fault. She didn't even complain when Jacob joined as their twelfth, feeling it was a just punishment for her betrayal of the club.
She didn't move from her curled position on the bed when she heard the sound of her window sliding open, followed by two sets of feet. She didn't react when she heard Matt leave the room (probably to grab something from the kitchen) and Mike sit next to her, his hand on her shoulder.
"If we lose, it'll be all my fault," she whispered to Mike as they sat on her bed. "I just thought...I don't know what I was thinking…"
Mike knew what she had been thinking. It was the same thing he had thought: Finn didn't deserve this. I mean, people came down on him for believing he'd gotten Quinn pregnant in a hot tub, but he knew that if Rachel had told him that he'd gotten her pregnant in an equally impossible way, he would've believed her too. With some people, you just physically can't believe that they would lie to you. Rachel had just been the only one brave enough to think someone's life was more important than winning (although he knew she had other motivations as well).
Matt came back in, carrying a plate with two leftover enchiladas, two sodas, and a glass of water, the latter which he handed off to Mike. He coaxed Rachel up and gave it to her, and he and Matt ate their meal in silence. They'd pretty much gotten used to vegan, since it was all that was in the refrigerator. Six-year old Rachel had been right—it didn't taste that different from the real thing.
Rachel was the first to finish her drink, and sniffled, speaking softly. "I'm so sorry guys; you were right."
She watched Matt give her a basic shrug—he was a very forgiving type. She probably could blow up the Chrysler Building and he'd let her off easy.
Mike, however, didn't meet her eyes. She remembered him telling her to lay off, and wished she had. She had just been so certain that the truth was the right thing…
"So were you," she heard him reply softly, and she was stunned. He looked up and placed a hand on her shoulder. "We were so busy worrying about Quinn and the club, nobody thought about the fact that we were messing with Finn's life—except you."
They sat there for a few moments in silence, processing and dealing. Then Matt, being Matt, pulled Rachel to her feet and dragged her downstairs to the living room.
"This is way too depressing," he told them, rummaging through her Karaoke choices as Mike, a smile coloring his face, began pushing aside the furniture. "We've got school for that."
Rachel couldn't help but smile as he handed off the microphone and he and Mike faced each other. She couldn't help but wonder if anyone else had ever seen the boys in their mini-dance offs.
Taking a deep breath, she pushed play, feeling her smile brighten as the familiar music, their band, started blaring, and the two boys rotated through trying to one up one another while singing vocals.
(Rachel, Mike, Matt, all)
Don't solve the problem,
When danger is better.
Far away where you stock them,
In cages that tether
And all the bridges you've burned,
Leave you trapped off at all sides.
Now the tables do turn,
And it's all gone, what's left for you.
And when the sky is falling,
Don't look outside the window.
Step back and hear I'm calling.
Give up, don't take the fast road.
It's just your doubt that blinds you.
Just drop those thoughts behind you, now. (now)
Change your mind.
Let go too soon.
Sit down, you're sinking,
there's no one to watch you.
Skip time, you're thinking,
there's no one to stop you.
And all the bridges you've burned,
leave you trapped off at all sides.
And now the tables do turn,
and it's all gone, what's left for you.
And when the sky is falling,
Don't look outside the window.
Step back and hear I'm calling.
Give up, don't take the fast road.
It's just your doubt that blinds you.
Just drop those thoughts behind you, now. (now)
Change your mind.
Let go too soon.
Don't run away,
Start feeling fine.
It's better than your worst, your worst day.
No words to say, I'll give you mine,
And pocket all the hurt, and just stay.
Don't run away.
It's better than your worst, your worst day.
And when the sky is falling,
Don't look outside the window.
Step back and hear I'm calling.
Give up, don't take the fast road.
It's just your doubt that blinds you.
Just drop those thoughts behind you, now. (now)
Change your mind.
Let go too soon.
(Don't run away)
Change your mind.
Let go too soon.
(Don't run away)
Change your mind.
The song ended, and Mike pounded fists with his friend, the quiet jock that always knew the right thing to do, before he crossed the room and hugged Rachel, the outspoken starlet who smiled softly as the songs cathartic effect left her exhausted. Together, the three of them clambered back upstairs and fell asleep, maybe ready to face the morning.
A/N: song is All-American Rejects, Change Your Mind.
