Chapter 12

"Sorry, baby," Betty Sue apologized, "we can take it a little slower. Haven't you ever had a French kiss before?" Rachel's head hung down as she reluctantly shook it, signifying that she had not. "That's OK, honey; don't be shy," Betty Sue attempted to comfort her, patting her gently on the thigh. "If you relax, I'm sure you'll really enjoy it." She leaned in to restart their foreplay, and Rachel suddenly realized that if she didn't speak up, the truth would be revealed in short order, regardless.

"Um…Betty Sue, there's something I have to tell you, first," Rachel's confession began.

"What's that, handsome?" Betty Sue replied flirtatiously; by now, she thought she had "heard it all" and figured whatever fears this man held, she'd be able to alleviate in short order.

Rachel looked earnestly into Betty Sue's eyes, ensuring that she had her attention. "Well, it's like this," she began with a deep sigh; "I lost my job as a teacher and ran out of money. My roommates got me a job singing. The only thing was," she paused briefly, lowering her voice to just above a whisper, "I had to pretend I was a man. I'm a woman, Betty Sue, not a man. My name's Rachel, not Ruben."

Betty Sue's eyes were as big as saucers, and Rachel hastily implored, "Please, please, don't say anything. I'll lose my job, and so will my roommates. I was so broke I had to sell my hair; that was the catalyst for this farce in the first place." By this time, silent tears fell down Rachel's face, her pleading eyes looking to Betty Sue for assurance that her secret would remain intact.

Betty Sue took Rachel's hands in hers, confiding, "I understand…well, mostly. I never set out to be a prostitute, ya' know." Betty Sue looked inquisitively at Rachel, who nodded her head in response. "My cousin Sugar and I had a Vaudeville act; we called ourselves 'the Troubletones'. We danced pretty well, but our singing wasn't that great. Two years ago, things had pretty much dried up, and the few bookings we could get were in Burlesque houses. We'd met Mercedes on the road a few years back…she was part of a Gospel group, 'Faith, Hope, Charity, and Mercy'…she was 'Mercy'. Sugar heard that she'd inherited this 'business' from her aunt, and we were desperate." It was now Betty Sue's turn to sigh and wipe a tear that ran down her cheek.

"Believe me, I'd rather be singing and dancing…well, doing just about anything else…but we have food to eat and a roof over our heads. Mercedes runs a clean place, and some of her best customers are cops, so they turn a blind eye to the whole thing. Did ya' see that guy at the piano?" she softly inquired, watching Rachel nod her head before continuing, "That's Artie Abrams…Sergeant Artie Abrams. He was shot in the line of duty. Anyway, the job's not ideal, but it'll do for now." She smiled shyly at Rachel, concluding, "Don't worry, I'll keep your secret."

Rachel exhaled deeply, releasing the breath she hadn't realized that she was holding. "Thank you, Betty Sue; I can't tell you how much I appreciate this."

Betty Sue smiled, confirming, "Don't give it a second thought, hon." She looked inquisitively at Rachel, inquiring, "Rachel, why doesn't Puck know? Is it because of your job?" Rachel blushed deeply in response, nodding her head shyly.

"Oh, my gosh, you like him!" she exclaimed.

Rachel sighed, admitting, "You're right, I do like him…a lot. He's convinced that I'm really a woman, and, at this point, I'm in too deep. If he finds out now, I'll just be a joke to him, and he'll be all full of himself because he was right."

"He seems pretty full of himself already," Betty Sue observed.

"Well, aren't most men?" Rachel sardonically replied as both women dissolved into a fit of giggles. Once recovered, Rachel explained, "This is the only way I can keep my job and my roommates' jobs; at least for now. In the meantime, maybe I can get to know Puck better, too."

"Good luck, Rachel," Betty Sue commented. "And, don't worry," she added, "Your secret's safe with me. Do ya' mind if I ask a favor?" she queried.

"Of course not, Betty Sue; name it," Rachel offered.

"If you hear of anybody looking for dancers, will you let me know?" Betty Sue requested.

"I will," Rachel avowed. "How do I get in touch with you?"

Betty Sue took a card off the night stand, handing it to Rachel, explaining, "Mercedes had these printed up."

Rachel examined the card, which contained no information except for the phone number. She tucked it into the breast pocket of her jacket, tapping lightly on the pocket and nodding. "Should we be getting back, yet?" she asked.

Betty Sue glanced at her wristwatch, commenting, "We have a half hour left. I know you're not into girls or anything, but we could neck a little. You kiss very nice, you know." She grinned impishly at Rachel, continuing, "If you want, you can pretend that I'm Puck. Or…we could play cards."

Rachel smiled tiredly, acknowledging, "Thanks, Betty Sue. I appreciate the offer, but if it's all the same to you, do you play gin rummy?"

Approximately an hour after Rachel had reluctantly left, she and Betty Sue returned, arms wrapped around each other. When they approached Noah and Sam (and now Kurt and Blaine, as well), Rachel and Betty Sue turned their faces to each other and kissed; although it was not a "deep" kiss, it was more intimate than a simple "peck" on the lips.

"You'll call me, 'lover'?" Betty Sue teasingly asked Rachel.

"It was fun, Betty Sue, thanks, but, as I told you, I have a boyfriend," Rachel politely explained.

"Well, you have my number if you change your mind…" Betty Sue reminded Rachel with a wink. She turned her focus to Noah, who was staring at the couple, his face conveying both shock and disbelief. Kurt, on the other hand, had to turn away to compose himself before he broke down in hysterical laughter.

"Thanks, Puck," Betty Sue addressed Noah directly, "You'd be proud of your friend, here," she admitted with a sly grin. She kissed Rachel on the cheek, they released their arms, and, with a sexy tone to her voice, said "Bye, 'lover'."

Rachel sat down next to Kurt, kissed him on the temple, and introduced him: "Betty Sue, this is my boyfriend Kurt Hummel; Kurt, this is Miss Betty Sue Pierce." They exchanged greetings, Kurt placing his arm around Rachel's shoulders in the process.

"So, how was it, honey?" Kurt politely inquired with all the self-restraint he could muster.

"It was nice, Kurt, but not like when I'm with you," she admitted with a sly grin. "I am a little tired, though. Do you mind if we go home?"

Rachel and Kurt stood up together, facing their friends. Blaine's firmly set mouth and emotionless eyes were his best attempt to mask his jealousy. Fortunately, all eyes were on Noah, who was unable to disguise the extreme incredulity he obviously felt. "Why such a farbissina punim, Puck?" Rachel teased. "Seriously, if you don't watch out, your face'll freeze like that; didn't your bubbe ever warn you? Oh," she paused, winking at him, "thanks again for the belated Bar Mitzvah present. 'Night, folks!"

Rachel and Kurt vacated the building arm-in-arm. As soon as they were down the block, between bursts of hearty laughter, Kurt commented, "Rachel, I never knew you had it in you. One day, they're gonna name a theater after you. That was some performance!"

Rachel bowed mockingly, replying, "Thank you Kurt. We should really thank Betty Sue; she agreed to keep my secret. She's a nice girl, Kurt," Rachel admitted, adding, "I hope I'll be able to return the favor some day."

Author's Note : Farbissina punim – sour face