Wow... sorry it took so long to get this one up. Classes started back up and I get trained into my new job on Monday.. yay for working for my dad? This isn't one of my best chapters considering how much it fought with me to not be written. I swear, it just didn't want to happen. But I made it. Hope you like it.
Also, I started another Klaine fic that will be updated much slower than this one will. I just wanted to get it started because it's something I want to know if people are interested in. It's called "Born 2 Die" and it follows more ghost story than anything else I've ever written so I'm a little nervous.
DISCLAIMER: DO NOT OWN! NOT EVEN THE SONG!
Sing For The Moment
Chapter the Sixth
9 Crimes
Rachel Berry was the star in her fathers' eyes. Both men took so much pride in their young daughter that they doted on her every need and gave her everything she'd ever need. She had everything, the best opportunities her parents could give her and for that she was thankful. If there was one thing, however, that Rachel was it was lonely.
At school she was little more than the outspoken, annoying theater kid that not even the theater clique wanted part of. Her voice was phenomenal, her acting was amazing, but all in all her personality made her a turn off. She knew she was self centered. She tried her hardest to change it, but being an only child with both her dads' undivided attention was enough to counteract all her efforts.
So her shoplifting escapade had been made in a desperate attempt to get attention. She needed some one to reprimand her. She knew that. As well, it brought her a step closer to her one time best friend. There had only ever been one person that could handle Rachel Berry at one time. That person was Kurt Hummel. Or, more precisely, the person Kurt Hummel used to be. She and the ex-fashionista used to be thicker than thieves and nothing would have been able to come between them. At least, that's what Rachel had thought.
Enter Noah Puckerman.
The teen had turned her entire life upside down in a matter of months and for it Rachel had lost her best friend. He started ignoring her texts and the last straw had been when he'd verbally tore her apart in front of the entire student body for her crush on Finn Hudson. It had been worse than being slushied on a daily basis.
So sitting in one of her last classes of the day, Rachel easily picked out the figure of Kurt sauntering in to the room. She frowned, looking up at the clock. He didn't have this class. He'd taken it the previous year because of his accelerated test scores. He should have been in Advanced French.
Her brow furrowed and she traced Kurt's path, eyes widening as she saw him moving over to the brunet boy. She recognized Blaine by face and through their counseling. As far as she knew, he was a quiet boy that wanted very little to do with anyone in their school. She didn't exactly blame him.
Blaine looked like he'd just about wet himself once he found Kurt sitting beside him. They exchanged a few words, Kurt's smirk growing into something that resembled the cat that had caught the mouse. Rachel could feel the dread settling deep in her gut. She knew that look. Kurt had had it seconds before ripping into her and ruining everything about herself she'd ever liked.
Kurt stood and smirked over his shoulder as he left, tossing out a comment about Blaine being cute before he left. Rachel watched him leave before she looked over to Blaine. The boy seemed dazed. Again, she didn't really blame him. Standing, she made the snap decision to go and sit by him. She had to warn him.
Slipping into the seat, she set her things out. "So Kurt's talking to you now?" She asked, tilting her head and looking to Blaine.
He seemed to take a moment to look her over, an expression of confusion crossing his slightly bruised face. "...Hi?"
Rachel grinned, glad she'd gotten him to at least greet her. "Hi! You're Blaine Anderson. The new student. You're also in my counseling group. I saw that Kurt Hummel was talking to you and just thought I'd come over and make sure you knew to keep away from him. He's nothing but trouble. He's been arrested so many times the cops already know him by voice. Not that it's hard. He has a very distinctive counter tenor voice that most people on Broadway would kill for." Rachel started.
Blaine just watched her, his eyes widening the more she talked, almost like a deer caught in the headlights of an oncoming truck. She knew that look. Most people gave it to her when they were trying to figure out if she was crazy or not. Then they stopped talking to her.
"Though he's no where near as good as me. I'm going to be the next Barbara Streisand. But anyway, Kurt's trouble. We used to be best friends and then his mom died and he stopped talking to people. And then when he came out as gay I tried to be friends with him again but then his dad had his heart attack and started dating and Kurt did a complete 180. He started talking more and more to that Puck and then he died his hair and got the piercings. All of his fashionable clothing disappeared and was replaced by the crap that he wears now and he started to listen to grunge rock and-"
She was cut off as the teacher entered the room, commanding their attention once more. Sighing heavily, she slumped further into her seat and opened her page to the indicated number. Well, at least she'd gotten a chance to warn Blaine.
-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-
Rachel didn't get the chance to talk to Blaine much during or after class. Soon as the bell had run, he was up and out of his chair. It amazed her how fast some people could move when they wanted to get away from her. As much as it hurt her, it awed her as well.
Sighing, she dragged her book bag into the girl's bathroom with the intent of just skipping. Today was a day she really didn't want to go to gym class. Not to face Noah Puckerman. He'd just insult her sense of fashion again. She liked how she dressed. She thought it was cute. Besides, the only person who could have given her criticisms about her wardrobe and tried to help improve it, was likely skipping his last class to go have a smoke under the school bleachers. She shook her head. Rachel knew she needed to stop thinking about it.
A soft sob caught her attention and she paused, looking further into the bathroom. "...Hello?" she called, stepping further in and checking the stalls. It fell silent for a few minutes. Rachel was starting to think she'd just imagined it until one of the stall doors opened.
Santana Lopez stepped out into the main room and ran a hand along her cheeks to wipe away the residue from tears. "The hell do you want, frumpy?" the Latina snapped, her dark brown eyes narrowing dangerously.
Rachel blinked, eyes widening in shock as she stepped back. "N-nothing! I just.. came in here for a bit of quiet and I heard someone crying so-"
"I wasn't crying!" she snapped once more, advancing on Rachel.
"I never said you were!" Rachel stated, trying to defend herself. Santana stopped mere inches from her, her lips pressed together in a tight line and her eyes narrowed with the intent to cause harm. She studied Rachel for a moment before shaking her head and stalking away and to the sinks.
Rachel let out a shaky breath, feeling herself slowly calm after her fear started to die down. Santana scared the living day lights out of her. She would willingly admit it. The Latina was known to carry razor blades in her hair and Rachel wasn't fond of the idea of discovering whether or not that rumor was true.
She did, however, take this chance to look Santana over a bit closer. The girl looked like shit. Her clothes were wrinkled, the black corset ripped slightly around the bust, as if someone had grabbed it and pulled. Her black jacket was creased, wrinkled slightly and dust covered it. Santana's normally tightly tied back hair was sticking out of the ponytail in a few places, giving her an almost wild look. Grass stains and a few mud streaks covered her pants and Rachel's frown deepened as she noticed the darkening bruise around the taller girl's neck.
Everyone knew about Santana's boyfriend. Rafael Ramirez was one of the star football players alongside Finn Hudson and was especially known for his short temper. It didn't take much to notice the violent way he tended to watch Santana. After all, she had a record with the male population of the school. Seeing the bruise, she knew where it came from.
"...You could do much better, you know..." Rachel stated softly.
Santana paused, the hand holding the eyeliner at the ready freezing mid air. Slowly, coffee brown eyes settled on the shorter brunet.
"Excuse me?" Santana asked, growling softly. "You saying I'm not good enough?"
"No! No that's not..." Rachel sighed and ran a hand through her hair. "That's not what I meant... I mean.. you deserve a lot more than what he does to you... you may not be the nicest to me, Santana, but I'm pretty sure you're a beautiful person when you smile..."
Santana looked Rachel over, seemingly stunned for a moment before she regained herself. "You don't know me and you don't know Rafael. Do us a favor and take your abnormally large beak and keep it out of our business." she snapped, stuffing her eyeliner in her bag before grabbing it and stomping from the bathroom. The door fell shut with a final thud causing Rachel to wince. She really needed to learn how to keep her mouth shut.
-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-
The house was silent once Rachel got home. She was glad for it. The day had been nothing short of hell and all she wanted was to take a hot bath and read Wicked. Making her way into her room, she tossed her book bag down on her bed and kicked off her shoes. Music. She needed music.
Plugging her ipod into the docking station, she pressed play and let it go to a random song.
Leave me out with the waste
This is not what I do
It's the wrong kind of place
To be thinking of you
It's the wrong time
For somebody new
It's a small crime
And I've got no excuse
She smiled softly as the song filtered through. It always made her think about Finn. Honestly, she wasn't sure why she liked him so much. Maybe it was his popularity? Or his smile? Or that dopey look he got on his face whenever he was confused? Or maybe it was because he'd been the only person to ever show Rachel a bit of kindness outside of Kurt.
Sighing, she shook her head and made her way over to her dresser. Stripping off her sweater and shirt, she discarded the clothing into the clothes basket before doing the same with her skirt and leggings. Standing there in a bra and underwear, she turned to her mirror and looked herself over.
Is that alright?
Give my gun away when it's loaded
Is that alright?
If u don't shoot it how am I supposed to hold it
Is that alright?
Give my gun away when it's loaded
Is that alright
With you?
Rachel's frown deepened. She was so average. It was no wonder no boy had ever taken an interest in her. Running a hand over her body, she cupped her small breasts for a second before sliding them down her sides and to her small hips. She was far from that desirable girl.
Finn would never look at her in the way she wanted him to. Not with her nose and her plain looks. Not when he had Quinn Fabray. The star cheerleader of the school and the model perfect woman.
Leave me out with the waste
This is not what I do
It's the wrong kind of place
To be cheating on you
It's the wrong time
She's pulling me through
It's a small crime
And I've got no excuse
She swallowed and looked away from the mirror. She couldn't look at herself anymore. Not tonight. The words of insults echoed through her head. The worst of all sounding like Kurt Hummel's voice cutting through the rest.
"You're embarrassing yourself, Rachel. And frankly, you're embarrassing me to be associated with you. What does it say when the gay boy of the school can get more ass than a girl in a homophobic town like Lima? God you're such a joke..."
"You done yet? Cause the rest of us would like to get into our class room before you scare the teacher off with your desperate stench."
"Still haven't gotten a chest, Berry? Pity. Ah well, we could always cut your hair and dress you like a guy. At least then you and your gorilla hands might stand a chance at getting laid."
Tears pricked her eyes and she let out a shuddering breath. She used to value Kurt's opinion. She always used to beg for his final critique about her appearance. And he used to give it and help her. Now all he did was use it against her. And even still, she valued his opinion. Right now, she wanted nothing more than her best friend back. More than she wanted Finn Hudson to like her.
Is that alright?
I give my gun away when it's loaded
Is that alright?
If you dont shoot it, how am I supposed to hold it
Is that alright?
I give my gun away when it's loaded
Is that alright
Is that alright with you?
A tug started at her back, along the middle of her spine. Almost as if it had started in her gut. She ignored it, writing it off to self loathing. It came again, harder this time. Blinking, Rachel unwrapped her arms around herself and looked down at her body in confusion. "What...?" she started before her whole body convulsed. She gasped, crying out softly before she fell to the floor. Her body continued to convulse for a few seconds before it stopped suddenly and Rachel gasped for air.
Something wasn't right. Her chest felt heavier, her breathing more strained. She blinked a few times, slowly rolling over and sitting up. Why did she feel taller? And why did her body ache? What's wrong with me? She mused, slowly getting to her feet. Taking that moment, she looked down and paled. Her nails were black. Her skin was no longer the usual slightly tanned complexion she had naturally, but instead a unique pale color almost like porcelain. She looked closer at herself. Her body was no longer feminine, but decidedly male. Hesitantly, she lifted her gaze to her mirror.
"Oh god..." she stated in shock, dread filling her voice. Instead of herself staring back, she was instead met with the blue green gaze of one Kurt Hummel.
Is that alright?
I give my gun away when it's loaded
Is that alright?
If you don't shoot it, how am I supposed to hold it
Is that alright?
If I give my gun away when it's loaded
Is that alright
Is that alright with you?
Is that alright?
Is that alright?
Is that alright with you?
Is that alright?
Is that alright?
Is that alright with you?
No...
Review time! Yay? Anyone else excited? Ok then...
MNHummel: I'm glad you like the songs. It usually takes me a while to figure out which one I want to use. So far, almost everyone has been on the youtube playlist I made for this fic. I can't wait to be done with this small section. Saturday morning is going to be very interesting to write for. I really can't wait to get there, but I have to finish these guys separately first. Thanks for the review!
This guy doesnt have a clue: Thank you! ^^
Slytherin-Pride0608: I'm glad you like Santana in this. And don't worry, she'd next chapter! ^^
spike4561: lol, yes the pills have something to do with everything going on. Just what though, has yet to be explained.
e m o m i n t: Well, it does have something to do with emotions and stress. It'll be explained soon if I ever find the time needed to write.
Mellomantis: yes, yes it was a shameless reference to Harry Potter. I couldn't resist.
Thanks to those that reviewed/alerted/favorited! Next chapter: Santana!
